Dumella. I’m Hendrick…I’m Great Sex…

The funny thing about our shower is…we don’t really have a shower. We have a bathtub, and yet, there’s not enough water to fill it. So, instead, we squat under the faucet in the most awkward position, and stick our head under in hopes that we get clean. So far, though we smell pretty good. Another funny thing about our bathroom is…we don’t really have a toilet lid or seat. We have a rim instead. But hey, when you gotta go, you gotta go…

We’ve been at Botshabelo for 3 and 1/2 days so far, and we’ve already discovered some really big personal insights: For instance, Ilene’s memory rocks. She already knows the names of 100 kids…but seriously, she does. And for Ayla, we all know that she’s a little bit deaf, however, since our arrival, she just can’t stop playing the telephone game (you know, like when someone says something in another person’s ear and it gets whispered around a circle of people and the last person says something completely different from the first, but sounds somewhat similar). For example, our new friend Hendrick said, “I’m Hendrick, I’m Grade Six” (as in the sixth grade teacher for the school) However…Ayla swore on her life that he said, “I’m Hendrick, I’m great sex” and proceeded to ask Ilene what he said and swore on her life that she heard Ilene say “He’s Hendrick, he’s great sex.” It’s wasn’t until later in the day when it got sorted out.

Along with our new friend Hendrick, we’ve also made TONS of new friends called cockaroaches. But as Ayla said on the first night, “Looks like we’re going to have to make peace with the cockaroaches.” Speaking of bugs, we seriously saw the most MASSIVE, GINORMOUS grasshopper (that actually looked nothing like a grasshopper) we have ever seen in our lives!! And sometimes, we bathe with moths…just another day in the life of Botshabelo.

What are we eating & drinking? We’re going local! For breakfast: Meali meal…for short,
“pup” (which makes no sense). Meali meal is cornmeal that is prepared like oatmeal and we like it with cut up fruit, sugar, and cinnamon. And for lunch and dinner, it’s the local produce and meats. Don’t forget about tea time! (At 11:00 am, which then pushes lunch to 3:00 pm)…where we have tea and bread (but for Ayla, rice cakes). The water is just fine to drink, so we’re staying very hydrated.

Tswana Language Time:

Yesterday, a group of the older kids wrote us a list of Tswana words & phrases that they thought were important for us to know. Take a look at what they’ve chosen:

Dumella = Hi

Ke a go rata = I love you

Ko go gopola = I’ll miss you

Tsa maya sentle = Have a nice journey

Kealeboga = Thank you

Bikibiki = A little bit

Tshogofatso = Blessing

Tshoganyetso = Appreciate

Tionolofaditswe = Graceful

Tinatlnoba = Respect

…and the most important one for Ayla & Ilene:

Toilete e kae? = Where is the toilet

Along with making peace with the cockaroaches, we’ve become quite intimate with MUD! It’s all over our shoes, socks, legs, clothes, and apartment floor. Thinking that we were going to be hot because it’s the summer here, we made sure to stock up on tank tops and t-shirts, little did we know that the rainy season makes it cold and muddy!