One year at site!

I have officially been living in my village for over a year! It's great to feel like I've built a good home and life here. However, there's something in Peace Corps known as the 'first year slump', where volunteers start to feel discouraged and blue as they evaluate how their service is going. Some people reflect and decide to go home. I've definitely had some days that are a strange mix of exhilaration and pride for having completed my first year of Peace Corps, only to suddenly start feeling overwhelmingly daunted at the idea of having another year to go.
I start to think things like:

                            Another year of feeling like I can't be there for friends and family as much as I'd like to??

Another year of constantly being the odd one out?

Another year of the hard days when I feel more alone than I've ever known...

I think these are fears and struggles that most volunteers deal with. I am generally very happy with what I do in Botswana and love being a Peace Corps volunteer. But when you stop and realize you reach the half way point, it can get to you a little bit. I completely understand why this slump has a recognized name. 

Peace Corps is definitely hard, I will always be honest about that. This last year has definitely been one of the hardest years of my life. But it's also been one of the best! I have grown and had more opportunities to explore and take on responsibility than I had ever imagined would be possible when I signed up. I feel stronger, healthier, and happier than I have in a really long time. Not to mention all the wonderful aspects of living in my community and learning about Batswana culture. I love knowing all of my neighbors and greeting people every morning. I love working on projects and connecting with the people I work with. In addition to all the great aspects of my service, I kept to my word and made sure to strive for personal goals as well. I think having those goals definitely helped keep me happy and motivated at times when my projects stalled. I'm proud to say that this year I ran my first 5K (a colour run!) and studied for and took the GRE. 

Peace Corps volunteers after colour run

How I spend a typical Sunday afternoon: 

doing laundry and playing with my neighbor's puppies

I've had two wonderful moments recently that made me feel like I've arrived as a Peace Corps volunteer. The first happened when I was invited to be a guest at the Primary School's annual prize giving ceremony. In Botswana, schools have a ceremony every year to give certificates and presents to the students who score the top grades in each subject. One year ago, I attended this ceremony on my very first day at site. After being introduced to my new coworkers at the clinic, my counterpart brought me over to the school to attend the ceremony. I had no idea what was going on and couldn't remember the names of any of the people I was introduced to. I sat nervously at the VIP table and tried to smile politely. This year was completely different. I was so excited to attend the ceremony and cheer for the kids. I took pictures of my neighbors' kids when they received their awards and felt like I was swelling with pride every time a student I knew went up to get a certificate. Best of all, I was even asked to hand out certificates for one of the subjects! I now know all the teachers at the school and work with them all the time and I felt perfectly at ease. 

Students polka dancing at the prize giving ceremony!

I don't know how polka dancing became so popular in Botswana. When I tell people it's a dance from Eastern Europe they're shocked!

After the prize giving ceremony, we also took the opportunity to unveil newly finished World Map Project! We ended up using the number system for the countries and printed out a laminated key for the students to study and quiz each other

My second moment occurred at the bus rank in my shopping village. I arrived at the bus stop late and worried that the last bus was already gone. I used to feel very nervous when this happened because we're supposed to be back in our villages by nightfall and I didn't want to end up stranded. This time, however, I was amazed by how many people I knew by name who were coming up to greet me. I ended up waiting with a young man and his little brother since they were trying to get to my village for a wedding. We were waiting for a while and I became more and more sure that the last bus was gone. The young man started to worry about what we should do if the bus never came. At that moment, I spotted the vice-headmistress of the primary school. She offered to give me a ride home and I asked if my new friend could come as well. 

That may not sound like a big moment, but it felt huge to me! I used to feel lost and completely reliant on the kindness of strangers to get around if something went wrong. And now I was able to help two Batswana get to my village! My site is home now and it feels really good. 

It's been a long, hard, wonderful, challenging, amazing, scary, and lovely year. The first year slump didn't get me down for long and I'm excited for what comes next. I also know that I couldn't have done this without all the amazing support from my family and friends. Ke a leboga thata!! (Thank you so much!!)

Two of my best friends came to visit me this year and sharing pieces of this experience with them was wonderful

And finally, 

Peace Corps wouldn't be the same without my partner in crime, Boitumelo (Happiness)