Hello again internet world! It is such a struggle finding
working internet that it always feels like a huge treat when I can see
something on facebook, let alone post. Anyway, since we are treating ourselves
with a pizza brunch at a hotel, we’re all greedily taking advantage of the free
wifi. I was struggling to figure what topic to dedicate this blog post to and I
figured I should actually describe what my average day is like:
I wake up every day at 6AM and take my bucket to the kitchen
where my water is heating on the stove for my morning bucket bath (also known
as ‘bathing’). Then I grab my flashlight and toilet paper and head to the
bathroom. My house doesn’t have running water, so it’s always a bit of a gamble
to see if the toilet will flush. (Since this is a Peace Corps blog, be prepared
for lots of bathroom talk). I still haven’t figured out when it’s ok to get a
bucket and fill the tank myself, so sometimes I just wait until I can go at the
college where they have running water. Then, I get my bucket and head to the
tub where I either use my cup and washcloth to bathe or dunk my entire head in
the bucket to try to wash my hair. I hate washing my hair, especially on chilly
mornings. I still can’t figure out how to really wash the back of my head
sometimes so it feels a little funny. After that I get dressed and brush my
teeth before sitting down for breakfast. All of our meals take place in the
living room in front of the TV. (I’ll do a whole other post about TV here
because I find it so interesting).
Anyway, I’m lucky enough to be the one who hosts our
language lessons every morning, so I just sit around until the rest of my
language group shows up. I have Setswana lessons every morning from 7:30 to
9:30 on week days and from 8 to 12 on Saturdays. I won’t deny it, I find
Setswana challenging. I have a hard time remembering phrases and already feel a
little nervous about my first language test next week. After that we all climb
into a van and head to the college. We have three or four sessions every day on
anything from culture or security to gender norms or global health. We usually
finish at around 4 or 5 and have a bit of free time. I have to be home by 6 so
that I’m not out after dark.
When I come home I play with the kids or try to help around
the house. I have dinner, then sometimes a second bucket bath and go to bed by
8 or 8:30 to have a little time to read or watch a show before I fall asleep.
To be perfectly honest, PST is exhausting sometimes. I’m a pretty
introverted person, so I find being around people constantly from 7AM to 8PM every
day to be pretty draining. But it isn’t just about being around people, it’s being
‘on’ all the time. Peace Corps really emphasizes that we represent the US 24/7
and always need to be ready to interact with locals, practice our Setswana, and
actively participate during PST. Sometimes at the end of the day I feel like I
just don’t have it in me to talk to another person. All of us get pretty worn
out some days. We have something called ‘healthy outlets’ once a week and I am
so grateful for it. We can use that time to go to the gym, read, play games, or
journal.
So that’s what my life is like these days. It’s hard to
believe we’re three weeks in! It feels like it’s been forever and no time at
all at the same time. On Monday we’re going to a rhino sanctuary (yay US holidays!), which I’m
really excited for, and the week after this we get to leave Serowe to shadow a
current Peace Corps volunteer. I can’t wait.
Mail shoutout: thank you to my parents for the wonderful letters, to
Klyzza for the two lovely postcards, et merci Tante Anne pour la doudoune!
I love walking past this sign every day on my way home
A lovely contrast of traditional and modern in my neighbourhood
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