I remember being so excited about my new venture. I had always been interested in learning about and experiencing other cultures, and wanted to work/volunteer in another country once I got my B.A. For financial reasons, I did this part time whilst working. I still remember seeing the poster inviting applications to join CUSO on the Bulletin Board at Wilfrid Laurier University. The time seemed right. I had just finished getting my B.A. (Sociology and Psychology) and also had become qualified to teach Home Economics at the Intermediate Level. Once I found out that I met the approval of CUSO and I would be placed somewhere, I obtained a leave of absence from the Waterloo Region District School Board. It wasn’t long before I got word of the opening at Molefi Secondary School in Mochudi, and I accepted the position.
I arrived in Botswana in October 1974. I recall thoroughly enjoying the different pace of life and learning about the way of life of the Batswana. I did my village live-in and language training a couple months after I arrived, and in spite of being bitten by bedbugs and becoming ill on the fermented sorghum porridge (which I hid from my host family), I enjoyed the time and did learn some Setswana. I walked with the children of the host family to gather firewood and water, which I carried with my hands rather than on my head, and did my best to pound some maize and use the winnowing basket to get rid of the chaff. I have many fond memories of the friendships developed in Mochudi with Peace Corps, MCC, and CUSO volunteers, and other expats. I had three different housemates during my time there, Kathy Cowbrough being one of them. I loved walking through the village, sometimes going to the local store to buy things needed for the Domestic Science Classes, and also down to the net houses to buy some fresh vegetables. I grew up on a farm, so meeting cows and goats along the way didn’t bother me. I also remember dodging hundreds of millipedes in my front yard after each rain so that I could make my way to the school. I remember fondly the many conversations under a shade tree on the property of the school, visiting with others in the evenings, and attending or hosting parties. The Matron at the school taught me how to make curried stew and we made big pots of goat stew over an open fire in the backyard. We served this with rice or stiff maize porridge. Everyone brought their own plates and eating utensils and we enjoyed the food and music. Another memory I have, and Kathy Cowbrough will also remember this, is a trip to the Maun area with several others during one of the school holidays. We roasted fresh Bream fish over an open fire, and rented a Land Rover to see all the animals in the wild. One night it was so beautiful we decided to not sleep in our tents and just crawled into our sleeping bags by the campfire to view the beautiful skies. We awoke to the sounds of roaring lions, and we all barely made it to the Land Rover in time before a lion passed through the campsite.
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April 2021
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