New Year, New Beginnings

Hello world! I know it's been quite a while since my last blog post and I apologise. Apparently I got a little too wrapped up in my integration period and forgot to write about it. I am now writing to you from Gaborone (the capital) where I am undergoing my In-Service Training (IST). What does that mean? It means I successfully completed/survived my three month community integration period! (Which is also referred to as 'lockdown' by Peace Corps volunteers because we aren't allowed to go anywhere).
During those three months my job was to relax, learn about my community, and build meaningful friendships and work relationships. Absolutely no new projects allowed. I spent a lot of time sitting and talking to  people, going on walks, and shadowing people. I had a lot of firsts during this time - first time living alone, first time eating a caterpillar (also known as mopane worm, it's such a popular snack here it's even on some of the currency! For the record, it tasted like kale chips).
Anyway, rather than write a long blog post again, I thought I'd write a list of some of the things I did during lockdown:

-Interviewed neighbours, the kgosi (chief), the police department, clinic staff, the Village Development -Committee (VDC), and pretty much any who would sit with me
-Had my first Christmas without my family (very hard)
-Rode in a donkey cart
-Taught my coworkers to make pancakes
-Joined the youth club at the Junior Secondary School
-Went to a tombstone unveiling ceremony
-Had every thought imaginable
-Got a kitten!
-Started planning my future garden
-Had a Christmas party for the neighbourhood kids

I made a tree out of paper, cut out some ornaments, and let the kids go nuts with colouring

-Learned to bake
-Made friends
-Failed to cook naan
-Met my district's parliamentarian

This is our kgotla! All the village meetings happen here. It's traditional to sit under a tree for kgotla meetings. 

-Held countless movie nights for kids
-Got stuck in the mud (literally) after the first big rain
-Weighed babies
-Counted pills

My clinic

-Plotted future health talks
-Made friends with half the dogs in my village (and had them follow me home)
-Asked a lot of questions
-Borrowed my neighbour's grandmother's donkey to be my lawnmowers

             There's my kitty in front of the donkeys

-Watched the Christmas choirs
-Marvelled at chicken behaviour
-Kicked centipedes, millipedes, ants, grasshoppers, and camel spiders out of my house
-Swept my house for the thousandth time and wondered how all the dirt keeps getting in
-Sweat constantly
-Took cold baths
-Started sweating the second I was dry
-Wished for rain
-Sweat some more

Finally, here's my cute little house!