BotswanaDear much appreciated friends and supporters, Sorry this update has come so late…I have no excuses but always thinking, “where do I begin…” I’ve been able to recount my trip with some of you, but even now, my thoughts seem to be gathering themselves still…I guess this is just going to be some sort of ongoing process…what happened, what now, what next, ya know? I’m sure in a few days, something else that I wanted to say will pop into my mind, but till then, here’s a little part of what happened back in August! 
(it was a long flight...but 2 days after our departure in lax, we made it! by the way, virgin atlantic's entertainment is sweet!) 
(my team was an awesome group of friends that i love--monica, the two italiano brothers nico and giulio, and john) As most of you know, my knowledge of details prior to our departure was very little. Going in with no idea what to expect, Monica and I arrived in Gaborone (or Gabs as the locals call it) after a long groggy 40 hour travel. We were warmly welcomed by the people at the orphanage. Some of the girls came into our tent and gave me and Monica hugs, then later proudly gave me a tour of some of the new buildings and bathrooms that were in construction at the time. We chatted in the dark outside and got informal introductions with some of the kids. (The stars seemed ridiculously close; it felt like I was looking into space through a telescope—we even saw 4 shooting stars the first night!) They found our names too difficult to pronounce and remember, so as a solution gave us all Setswana names (Monica’s was Tebego [gratitude], mine was Lorato [love]). (Likewise it took most of us about a good week to learn their names—ie: Mosetsana, Mispikiri, Tumisang, Bonolo, Bufelo, Kago, Lololo, Tshepiso just to name of few)
The orphanage site we were staying at was called the Tsogang (So-hong) Support Group. To my knowledge, it is run by two women, MaChabe and MaKris, both of whom have HIV/AIDS. MaChabe originally opened up her home to care for other elderly people living with HIV/AIDS, and currently houses 4-5 adults. She later took in some children whom were left home/parentless as a result of HIV/AIDS. As of today, MaChabe houses about 25 children who are permanent residents of Tsogang. 
Our days mostly consisted of doing arts and crafts, drawings, number games, reading them books, playing soccer (or football as the rest of the world calls it) and teaching them various “camp” games. Monica and I would help serve food to the kids during meals and even got to learn how to make some of their regional staples. It was an advantage to have been able to live on the site of the orphanage for the 2 ½ weeks we were there; even during down times when there was “camp program” planned , we were able to just hang out with the kids, play tag, duck duck goose, and teach the kids how to play slide [over and over and over]. It was in those moments when we were just living there amongst the people that I felt most connected and most present. Some of the sweetest memories I have are of those standing around a table, molding dough into flat dumplings with Monica and the other “older” women (older meaning 13 and over), flour on our shirts and on the floor, having a cultural exchange of what is what in our respective countries, learning how to make bread (which they found hilarious that Monica and I didn’t know how to do), and just having conversation with the people... 
Did I mention that we had amazing help there as well? Shout out to the youth from the local church there, G-West, a few volunteers from Hope Worldwide, and some of the older neighborhood kids would come help us with activities, field trips, and translation. We wouldn't have been able to do anything without them! 
This was one of my favorite days and games...the Hope people led the game...it's like a "hey Susie Walker" type of game...one person gets in the middle at a time and does a call and response, followed by a dance and everyone else is supposed to imitate them...the first girl is stankin cute, the second girl is so gangsta...i love her beanie--she was always super into all the games...i can see her becoming valedictorian one of these days; and the last guy is one of our G-west guys...we called him "minister" ...
Despite all of our shortcomings, personally and program wise, the kids were extremely receptive and appreciative of the activities we would do. One thing I must note here about the kids at Tsogang is how incredibly resilient and tough the kids are. I noticed within the first few days that most of the kids don’t cry much there. Even when they fall, they’ll cry for just a few seconds before getting right back up and running around again. Tough cookies they are. After we had been there for a few days however, I noticed the kids would cry and peer up at us through the corner of their eye, to see if they had caught our attention. This past trip was the first time I have worked with orphaned children and people living with HIV/AIDS. And this may very well be true with orphaned kids all around the world, but one thing I noticed was that the children didn’t ask us for much, but most of the time just wanted us to teach them how to play a game, wanted our attention when they were sad or hurt, wanted the height and comfort of an older person to just lean and rest on… There was this one particular boy, Mathias, who would often be in trouble for biting the other kids, who I always found at my side. When I felt someone grab and hold my hand, I would find that it was usually him; and it was him who frequently would just come up to me and lean on me, not saying a word, not asking for a thing. 
Every activity we came up with, every drawing session we would have, I found the kids incredibly excited to do whatever it was we were doing. Even during off “camp” times, I found the kids huddled around one bottle of paint, painting on the back of a used worksheet in the sand. When our morning sessions would have finished and I told the kids to take a break, they would usually look at me doe-eyed and wanting to do more. I, myself, never remember being that excited to be in a classroom with crayons, singing the alphabet over and over. If there was anything the kids would consistently ask me for was pencils; it was evident in the course of the two weeks that the kids were eager to draw, eager to write, eager to count to 100 for me, just very eager to learn. We were also able to do some cool things with the kids; I'm amazed at how many things cool things are at our fingertips if we just ask! John wrote a letter to the owner of a movie theatre in one of the nearby shopping plazas...telling her about Tsogang, the kids, the camp, etc. She replied saying that she'd sponser our kids to go to her theatre and watch a movie for free; she threw in free popcorn and drinks for everyone too! so we took about 55 people to the theatre that day and watched Evan Almighty..it was a feat getting the kids there...and then making sure they didn't run all over the place or pee on the ground in front of retails stores and strangers (which they did, and which one gal did--sorry mon!) other than that, it was a relaxing time...and the kids were stoked.. we were also able to take the kids to a game park! here's a video of some antelope-looking animals...listen for monica's excellent australian commentary...
The youth of the orphanage (13 years and older) didn’t participate much in the day camp activities. Prior to our trip, they had been rehearsing for a talent show weeks in advance. Everyday, I could here them in one of the rooms or in the field under one of the trees singing, harmonizing, practicing their dance. We were able to rent them out one of the community hall centers for the show. I had originally thought that the kids were trying to help fundraise for construction on the new orphanage site. (MaChabe was recently given a plot of land; plans and layouts are already complete and the only thing they need is the funds to start building). What I later found out was that the youth had organized this talent show to raise money for one of their neighbors, an elderly woman, widowed and crippled, living in a house made of sheet metal. This took me by complete surprise. It’s evident to any outsider that the youth and kids of Tsogang don’t have many possessions; they don’t have their own rooms filled with clothes, books, shoes…most of their possessions they share with one another. Despite their circumstances, never once did I get a sense that these kids felt sorry for themselves nor did they view their situation with pity or as unfortunate in any way. I think this was so shocking to me because it seems like such a digression of our cultural norms…things that tell me I need this or that, that I need to take care of myself, reminding me of my own needs or my own “scarcity”… I am reminded of the Beatitudes… “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth…blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God.” The kids began to make the bricks for the house a week before the talent show…mixing the cement and sand…they had made more than what looked like a 100 before that Saturday… 
a video of one of their practices...
There are many things to be said about Botswana, about Gabs, but in fear that this will turn into a short novel I will end it with this last thing… There are lots of things happening for the orphanage. My friend who also went with us, has a California based non-profit, and currently is working on funding for the new orphanage site project and getting individual sponsors for the kids who live at Tsogang. The Hope Worldwide volunteers, who so faithfully came to our camp to help us, started a kids club while we were there—coming to spend time with the kids and do some sort of activity with them every Friday. I was able to learn an incredible amount from the women and am eager to work with them again when I am able to go back to Gabs. 
My time there felt both incredibly short and very long. Nonetheless, I feel like I was able to get a sense of the community, life there, their needs, how things work, and what things I can prepare for the next time I go. In many aspects, it was extremely difficult and especially tiring, considering that I know my forte is not with kids and teaching, and there were many days I know the planning could have been much more thorough. But despite all these things, I feel blessed beyond the measure of the word to have been given the opportunity to go and be with the people of Gabs for the short time we were there. Thanks again for supporting me through and in the process, allowing me to go on this trip, and for praying for me and my team! (Monica and I didn’t get one bug bite while we were there by the way). I also have some tea to give all of you…it’s South Africa’s finest! It’s the tea that we often drank—always served with milk and lots of sugar. thanks for reading this far...but if all this left you thirsty for more Gabs story, just ask! I’d love to talk about it with you..(and you better believe I have lots more videos...one of Monica almost touching a monkey too!) Thanks again for your support. 
Much, much tebego and lorato for you all, anabel ps: one more thing! here's a little something special...wet one's are essential on a trip like this...my feet are the ones with the significantly larger second toe...monica's are the ones spread out like it's ready to give a high five...slaaaaaP* 
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