Newbie no more

This week it occurred to me that I am no longer the 'newbie' at work or anywhere, for that matter. Our research team has welcomed several new faces since I came on board and even my social circles and the group of people I live with are evolving to include people newer than me. Although I am still rather naive to some of the intricacies of life in Botswana, I am becoming more fluent in the culture. I get some pretty surprised looks from people when I greet them or respond to their greetings or questions in Setswana.

Mochudi clinics

I am impressed by the apparent accessibility of primary health care in Mochudi. There are a dozen clinics dispersed throughout the village and surrounding areas. So most residents have a clinic near them.



Another interesting aspect of health care here is that patients keep their own medical records. The records look like Pee Chee portfolios and many patients decorate the outsides of their records with magazine clippings and other art. Pregnant women get separate ante-natal records. This is apparently very convenient when a laboring mother presents at a clinic other than the clinic where she usually goes for check-ups. One nurse told me that women who are near their expected date of delivery carry their record EVERYWHERE they go... just in case.

This is a picture of the garden at one of the clinics in Mochudi. The staff gives some of the harvest to patients and sells the rest to help support clinic activities.



Here is flowering tree that I walk by each morning on my way to work. I was mesmerized by it and finally thought to take a picture of it so that I could share it with YOU.

Valentine’s Day Visit to the Bank

Dealing with money and banking in Botswana are two skills that I am still developing. I am accustomed to completing all of my large financial transactions electronically and rarely visiting the bank unless it is to make a deposit. Living in Botswana, however, I pay my rent and all of my other living expenses in cash. Whenever I get reimbursed for professional expenses at work, I get a check. Then, since I don’t have a bank account, I have to cash the check at the bank. I have learned to coordinate cashing checks and paying my rent so that I can turn the money directly over to my landlord.

My visits to the bank are always interesting. There is usually a crowd in the waiting/ queuing area ranging between ten and thirty-five people. Some of them are standing in a line, some are sitting on chairs and some just seem to be hanging out. I always join the queue expecting to wait and be served in turn. ‘In turn,’ however, is not as straight forward as you might expect. The line slowly progresses and people from the sitting and ‘hanging out’ crowds interject themselves into the line as it moves along. No one (except me) ever seems to be bothered that these people are cutting in the line. I never raise a stink, because I assume there is some secret system that I don’t understand.

Today I had the opportunity to go to the bank with a Matswana. I was psyched because I figured I would learn the secret system of waiting in line (or, not waiting in line as it often appears. I was not disappointed. Here’s the deal: You arrive at the bank and straight-away join the queue. Then, after you’ve established your ‘place,’ you get out of line and sit, stand, get a drink, etc. until your ‘place’ approaches the front of the line. Then, you rejoin the line in the place you originally established. It’s as simple as that.

Another difficulty associated with bank transactions is that I never really know what is going on between the time I give the teller my check and when she hands me my money. Today, being Valentine’s Day, I sent my check through the money-drawer to the teller and the teller sent the money-drawer back with candy. This was nice, but not what I wanted (i.e. money). Then, after a minute or two she sent through a pile of money that did not appear to be the amount that my check was for. When I picked it up, the woman next to me said, ‘that’s mine.’ So, not really thinking about it, I handed it to her. Thankfully, it really was hers. This woman apparently wasn’t happy with the candy that she was given, so she and the teller spent a few seconds exchanging candies through the money-drawer. Then, a man showed up behind me and asked the teller if she was going to break for lunch soon. She said she was not. Finally, the teller sent another pile of money through the drawer and it was mine. Success!

I wish I had a picture to show you of the interior of the bank. The Valentine's Day decorations were truly unique. Unfortunately, there are signs in banks prohibiting cell phones and cameras. People don’t seem to abide by these rules, but, as a guest, I always feel like I should. So, here is a picture of the outside of the bank.

Murals in Mochudi

This week I visited NGO's in Mochudi to learn about the HIV prevention messages that they use. I loved these murals on the Youth for Christ campus.

To and From Mochudi

Here is a picture looking out the windscreen on the way to Mochudi.



Here is the road sign indicating the ways to Mochudi and to Gaborone.



Here is a picture looking out the windscreen on the way back to Gaborone from Mochudi.


You (blog readers) seem to love the most mundane postings, so I thought this would be a real winner.

I had a busy and exciting day doing interviews today in Mochudi. I met some exceptional women who are leading NGO's and positively impacting young peoples' lives.

A Phew Phacts About Phones

Phone book: This is a picture of the 2011 Botswana phone book. Yes, that's right; one phone book for the entire country. (I mean, there are lots of copies of it, but it covers the whole country). I can't even imagine how thick a phone book for the entire USA would be. Thank God for the internet.

Receptionists: I recently had occasion to call local professionals at their businesses and ended up leaving messages with various receptionists. I told one receptionist my name (and even spelled it for her), who I was calling for, where I was calling from, why I was calling, etc. Then, when I began to recite my phone number she said, "hold on, let me get a pen." All along, I thought she WAS writing down all of the important details I had been relaying. Oh well. Often times, receptionists do not take messages, but rather tell you that the person is out and, if you're lucky, when a good time to call back might be.

Cell phone etiquette: You only have to pay for outgoing calls, so people seem to go to extraordinary lengths to answer incoming calls on their cell phones. (If you manage to answer the incoming call, you avoid incurring the fees associated with outgoing calls if you had had to return the call). In business and social settings it seems perfectly accepted that people leave their cell phones on and answer them whenever they ring.

Accessibility: Everyone seems to have a cell phone. This may contribute to the slimness of the phone book- I think it only covers land lines. There are three major carriers and, from what I can tell, most people us pre-paid service. You buy a sim card and then 'load' it with airtime. You can buy airtime anywhere-- or, as they say, 'where-eva, when-eva.'

Texting: SMS or Text messages are very popular. I frequently see a line of people sitting on a bench or curb looking down as if they were reading novels. Upon closer examination- they are most likely sending or reading SMS's.