Days 51 thru 56

(Rhia’s comments are italicized)

Our travels have slowed considerably now that we are back in Gabarone as I’ve been preparing for the presentations on Friday and Saturday (which is, after all, the reason we came to Africa in the first place). I had prepared before making the trip over, but during our 7 weeks of traveling around Botswana and Namibia talking to teachers, parents, and students, I realized that I needed to change some of what I’d prepared to better address some of the issues being faced in this part of the world.

We have been following a more normal schedule and getting a lot of rest…uh, speak for yourself …I’m still awake at 5:30 each morning! We got a chance to not only visit the new Lowapi School campus, but to also visit a year 3 (3rd grade) classroom in a government school. Our host (director of Lowapi School and conference organizer), has adopted this class for 6 weeks to teach reading four times a week! Unlike in much of the Western world, giving back to the community is still an important part of the culture in this part of the world! Ms. Bonolo has made HUGE strides with the 30 students in the class and this is after only four weeks!! I not only had a chance to see Ms. Bonolo’s lesson, but to also interact with the students and see the different subject walls that highlight what is being taught.

Most of the students in the class had been identified as far below grade level in reading, and Ms. Bonolo brought in her reading program to help teach phonics. It was fascinating to hear the whole class repeat the rules in unison and then individually apply those rules. To aid in building words sound-by-sound, bottle caps with letters on them were used so that the students could manipulate them into words and sentences. Why bottle caps, you ask? Because the building they first used for a school was previously an alcohol bottling plant that had left thousands of bottle caps behind when it was closed. So like the science wall in the class had posted, recycle! In my experience, people in Africa are AMAZING at recycling…not in the sense we think about it, but in re-purposing things. Something that has stuck in my mind since I taught her in the mid 1980s is how children made their own toys. For example, I remember seeing a milk carton, twigs, and bottle caps being made into a toy car…and one of my students was so proud when he’d found enough rubber bands to make into a ball that (somewhat) bounced!

The new Lowapi campus was previously a beautiful house that has been converted into three classrooms for years one, two, and three (the rest of the classes remain in the original building). I got to sit in on some technology lessons, and tried my hand at helping students one on one. Though I did get my teaching credentials over 20 years ago, I lost my confidence in the classroom. This was a big step for me to interact with students again. I have got to say, I enjoy the younger students! I LOVED my time at Lowapi…you forget how much little children just love everyone 💖

We had to fit the museum in before the weekend (as everything closes on Saturdays and Sundays) and, this week, Monday and Tuesday are also a holiday. We’ve not been very successful with museums thus far our fingers crossed as we walked there. Upon arrival , we had some good and bad news. The museum was open 🎉 but it wasn’t fully finished! Currently, it’s more of an art museum with a bit of history thrown in. Still, I really enjoyed my time there. The art display was contemporary, as well as relevant. One of the most profound pieces was named “painful happiness”. It displayed an expectant mother watching children play in the middle of a filthy road in a shanty town. I have been looking for a way to understand the poverty – yet happiness – that I have witnessed and that picture said it all!

Both Rhia and I have read some books by Alexander McCall Smith about The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency (made into a TV series in 2007). The stories take place in Gaborone where the main character, Mma Ramotswe, lives. While walking through Main Mall, I first saw the Tea Corner sign, and later noticed the President Hotel, both locations feature in the book! I was beside myself. We had a sit down meal in the hotel yesterday. Being Sunday, the place was empty so we waited a long time for our meals, but the waitress was lovely and brought us a nice dessert while we waited…dessert for appetizers works for me! I must be adjusting to a slower lifestyle because I didn’t even notice it was taking a long time.

We have been eating a lot of kiosk food while we have been staying at Main Mall. The food is really good, and costs 30 pula ($2.50) for a large container. I’m loving all the different ways they prepare corn and maize meal.

The weather has turned beautiful here, highs of 78 and lows of 52. Absolute heaven. The countdown to the conference is 5 days, so I hope the weather holds.