Mochudi
Last Saturday was the installation ceremony in the new Bakgatla(tribe) Kgosi(chief) Kgfela Kgfela (chiefs name). We awoke at 4am so to leave for the kgotla by 5am so to try and get good seats. We failed on both measures and while we managed to find seats they were not very good and we couldn’t see anything during the entire ceremony. The kgotla (traditional court) was packed, as in there wasn’t an empty seat, bench or semi-nonobstructive standing room available. There were even people standing on nearby hills so that that they could see into the kgotla. The ceremony was long, and all in Setswana. What started with us sitting down at 5:30am was supposed to end at 2pm. By now I am used to not understanding a lot of what was going on around me so I was able to just tune out a lot of what was said and work on a Sudoku someone gave me for at least part of it. The entrance of the chief and President of Botswana were probably the most exciting part of the entire ceremony. First about 20 women danced into the kgotla in traditional dresses, each with a fairly large clay pot balanced on their head. No one explained to me what was going on, so I cannot tell you why they did this. They were followed several hundred women also dressed in traditional clothing but each was carrying a tree branch. Once they all entered they raised the branches above their heads and waved them as they sang a traditional song. They left and then came the big bang, literally. Men in traditional clothing (animal skins capes and various sorts of loin cloth like things) paraded in each with a long pole or gun topped with ostrich feathers. Poles and feathers waved in the air and a few shots went off. At first no one knew that the shots were part of the ceremony and everyone ducked but soon it became apparent it was all for show. The President of Botswana and the new chief marched in as well, surrounded by the swarm. Then came the prayers, the songs, the prayers, the speeches. I caught about one out of every hundred words and was baking in the sun. After several hours of this the actual coronation took place where Seretse Khama Ian Khama (the president of Botswana) lay a leopard skin a top Kgosi Kgfela Kgfela. We left at this time to watch this on a big screen they had outside kgotla. The chief never smiled once during the ceremony and looked like what you would expect of an African chief draped in a leopard skin with its head a top his. My mme (mom) was bored so we left a few hours early skipping the last few hours of prayers and songs to watch it on the television in her cool concrete house. While the ceremony was somewhat boring I can now say I have been to the coronation of an African chief and seen the President of Botswana.
Later that night after a long nap to make up for my sleep deprivation, I was invited out to a Jazz bar by the boy in my program and his host mom. Another girl in my program went along with us as well. At first I had no intention of drinking and really only brought enough money for the cover. However after being there for 20min the boy’s host mom’s sister noticed none of us were drinking so she bought us all drinks. From that point forward I do not think there was a moment where I didn’t have a drink in hand, all supplied for by the various host parents and various other host relatives. Never before in my life have I been encouraged to drink like that by adults. It was just interesting to see the cultural norms of Botswana really playing out and one of those norms is to be a total drunk. We listened and danced to both Jazz and African music until the bar closed. It was a great evening and lots of fun. Oh also when we were at the bar several people came up to us and told us that we were the first Makgoa (whiteys) they had ever seen in the bar before. Sometimes I almost forget how much I stand out only to be reminded by the locals.
My final morning in Mochudi was very very busy. It was my seven (now eight) year old host sisters birthday. I spent most of the time washing, cleaning, and preparing food, until sadly I had to leave before the party started. One thing they made that was delicious was ginger beer. They made maybe 60 gallons of it and it tasted so delicious, nice and spicy. My favorite part about it was they had put pineapple in it initially for part of the brewing process and I had to job of taking all of the pineapple out. Let me just day nothing tastes better than pineapple that has been soaking in ginger beer for 48 hours.
Spring Break
Next week is UB’s midsemester (i.e. spring) break. I am very excited to get far away from Gabs as it is practically impossible to do over the weekend unless you have a car. For the break I am heading off to a place called Tofo Beach, a small coastal town about 40km from Inhambane, Mozambique. What makes it so exciting is that we have our bus tickets, our visas (which were surprisingly cheap), and hostel reservations. I can’t wait to see the Indian Ocean, snorkel in coral reefs and learn how to surf. All I hope is that it will be a relaxing vacation where I can nap, read, eat seafood and explore a different African culture. The only issue will be that I speak no Portuguese but at least the little Spanish I can remember will help me read signs. Tsamaya mo Tofo!
UB
My clothes are only growing more and more filthy. I never seize to be impressed by the copious quantities of dirt flowing from my clothing as I wash them in the bath tub. I don’t think any of my clothes will truly be clean until I get back in the US. I will be grateful to not wash clothes by hand nor hang them out to dry come December. Who knows, maybe mom will even do my laundry for me when I get home. J
I have started to compile a list of food I miss. Here is a little look into it. Tillamook Medium Cheddar Cheese, Any other Tillamook Cheese (really any cheese from Oregon), Macaroni and Cheese, Tofu, Salmon, Mom’s Jerky (because I ate it all in 2 days), fresher Kiwi, Berries, American Dream Pizza, Whole Wheat Tortillas, Sun Burgers, Home Canned Tuna, Peanut Sauce, Peaches, Black Beans, Salted Butter, Any milk that is not Longlife Milk or Full Cream, Pesto from the Co-op, Clif Bars, delicious Peanut Butter (they have it here but it tastes a little funky), Artisan Bread, Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream, and any food that hasn’t had some sort of contact with cockroaches.
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