After being in Africa for almost three full weeks and in Shakawe for two, I think I have fairly quickly gotten used to things around here. However, there have no doubt been some challenges.
One challenge has been the language, most notably learning names, and getting used to the fact that I will not be able to understand everything that everyone around me is saying.
I'm generally very good at remembering names and faces (years of summer camp having to learn 24 new names in the first 30 minutes of every week has definitely helped), but I am also a visual learner and need to see things written down. Just hearing someone's name does not make it easy to remember, as I have not yet been able to associate all the different sounds I hear with letters in order to picture how they might be spelled. Most people's names here are very different but oh so fascinating, which of course often means they are longer and harder to pronounce. The learning of Setswana is slow…I have my notebook with phrases and vocab that I write down and have memorized quite a few, but I can't always remember them in context when I need to or I can't pick out the words I do know from hearing other people talking because they talk extremely fast. Additionally, Setswana is largely an oral language, so many sources give different words or meanings, and everything is very context-dependent. And while English is still the official language, most people converse in Setswana so it is easy to feel lost and left out in any social setting.
Another difficulty has been figuring out how to respond to the various comments and reactions we get from other people as we walk through town.
I am not the most extroverted person by nature, so walking through a town where almost everyone looks at you isn't exactly a comforting feeling. To date, we have had the quite the list of interesting remarks. Here are a few examples of my personal favourites:
The final major challenge has been understanding the pace of work and my purpose here. I could probably talk about these two topics at length but I will try to keep it brief.
Many things I have witnessed in my work setting frustrate me - not just the slower pace, but communication, interactions and various processes within the organization as well. I don't want to come in as an outsider and tell others that their ways are wrong and that I have the answers, but it is very difficult to watch some process go on and not want to do something to improve them. Unfortunately, we have been given a contrasting message from our organization as to why we are here and what our role is. They seem to view us as having expertise and want our assistance; they have said they value our opinions and (supposed) expert knowledge highly. But there is a difference between doing things myself or telling others what to do from the perspective of our "western ways" and helping build capacity of others. Similarly, it has also been difficult to find a balance between waiting to be given tasks to do and asking for or suggesting ways we can help.
While most things have been fairly easy to get accustomed to, these three challenges have inevitably given me much to think about and learn from. The pace of work will hopefully change; we seemed to have arrived at a bit of a busy time for TOCaDI - two of our project supervisors return next week, their quarterly reports will be complete, and the long weekend will be over (Monday is Botswana Independence Day), ideally giving us a chance to ask all our questions and receive further instruction beyond the initial discussion of our mandate at the beginning of last week. While I still endeavour to make every effort to help TOCaDI and the community in any way that I can, it is also important for me to learn to be okay with the fact that things will not always work the same around here. Perhaps my expectations are too high and I am too much of a perfectionist. Things here can't, won't and don't have to be the same as I am used to. Not everything has to change, I can't be the one to try and change everything, and everything takes time.
One challenge has been the language, most notably learning names, and getting used to the fact that I will not be able to understand everything that everyone around me is saying.
I'm generally very good at remembering names and faces (years of summer camp having to learn 24 new names in the first 30 minutes of every week has definitely helped), but I am also a visual learner and need to see things written down. Just hearing someone's name does not make it easy to remember, as I have not yet been able to associate all the different sounds I hear with letters in order to picture how they might be spelled. Most people's names here are very different but oh so fascinating, which of course often means they are longer and harder to pronounce. The learning of Setswana is slow…I have my notebook with phrases and vocab that I write down and have memorized quite a few, but I can't always remember them in context when I need to or I can't pick out the words I do know from hearing other people talking because they talk extremely fast. Additionally, Setswana is largely an oral language, so many sources give different words or meanings, and everything is very context-dependent. And while English is still the official language, most people converse in Setswana so it is easy to feel lost and left out in any social setting.
Another difficulty has been figuring out how to respond to the various comments and reactions we get from other people as we walk through town.
I am not the most extroverted person by nature, so walking through a town where almost everyone looks at you isn't exactly a comforting feeling. To date, we have had the quite the list of interesting remarks. Here are a few examples of my personal favourites:
- "Can I hold your hand?"
- "Do you know how to speak Chinese?" "...No..." "I'll teach you next time." (said by some young girls)
- "Where are you going? … See you tomorrow."
- "Give me some money" (said first by one kid, then soon the whole group of friends chimed in)
- "Can I have your t-shirt?"
- "I have seen you. I like your dress. I will come see you at work later." (said by a lady who we pass most days on our way to work)
- "Meet us here later, okay?"
- "Are you looking for a guest house?" "No, we live here." … "We'll come visit you."
- "Can I tell you my life story?" (said by a teenage boy)
- "Cook me some food" (said by several young children)
The final major challenge has been understanding the pace of work and my purpose here. I could probably talk about these two topics at length but I will try to keep it brief.
Many things I have witnessed in my work setting frustrate me - not just the slower pace, but communication, interactions and various processes within the organization as well. I don't want to come in as an outsider and tell others that their ways are wrong and that I have the answers, but it is very difficult to watch some process go on and not want to do something to improve them. Unfortunately, we have been given a contrasting message from our organization as to why we are here and what our role is. They seem to view us as having expertise and want our assistance; they have said they value our opinions and (supposed) expert knowledge highly. But there is a difference between doing things myself or telling others what to do from the perspective of our "western ways" and helping build capacity of others. Similarly, it has also been difficult to find a balance between waiting to be given tasks to do and asking for or suggesting ways we can help.
While most things have been fairly easy to get accustomed to, these three challenges have inevitably given me much to think about and learn from. The pace of work will hopefully change; we seemed to have arrived at a bit of a busy time for TOCaDI - two of our project supervisors return next week, their quarterly reports will be complete, and the long weekend will be over (Monday is Botswana Independence Day), ideally giving us a chance to ask all our questions and receive further instruction beyond the initial discussion of our mandate at the beginning of last week. While I still endeavour to make every effort to help TOCaDI and the community in any way that I can, it is also important for me to learn to be okay with the fact that things will not always work the same around here. Perhaps my expectations are too high and I am too much of a perfectionist. Things here can't, won't and don't have to be the same as I am used to. Not everything has to change, I can't be the one to try and change everything, and everything takes time.