For many years I thought of my life as in three periods: before, during and after Botswana. My experiences in Botswana shaped my thinking about myself, la condition humaine, and what is really important in life. But I have to admit, I had so much fun there too! Lasting friendships started there – with volunteers from CUSO, the Peace Corps, VSO, MCC and IVS. With lengthy school holidays, I hitch-hiked to Malawi, Kenya, Zambia and Tanzania, sometimes with my late sister Joany and her daughter Robin, sometimes with other volunteers, sometimes alone. Of course there were CUSOers everywhere – always willing to put us up and party together into the night. One CUSO Christmas was in Blantyre. Another was celebrated in Lamu, Kenya. During the school term, people would travel for miles for weekend gatherings – in Kanye, Molepolole, Lobatse, Mochudi and Gaborone.
Every so often I would visit friends and relatives in South Africa (my father was born and brought up in Kimberley). It was heart wrenching to observe Apartheid from within and left a lasting impression. I remember getting picked up by a Boer farmer driving a pickup truck and sitting in the passenger seat with his dog while his African worker sat outside bouncing in the back – not to mention the “whites only” park benches, drinking fountains, washrooms, etc. I observed the mass exodus of African workers from Johannesburg at 5 pm as they jam-packed the trains for Soweto, leaving the curfewed white city behind. I admit to having been conflicted about my own heritage!
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Add a ReflectionWhat was the lasting impact of the CUSO Botswana experience on the rest of your life? How did it change you? How did it affect your values, beliefs, actions? Your thoughts on the meaning of the experience are important to all of us and to Cuso International (200 words max). Email your reflection to: Archives
June 2019
Categories |