Old Naledi

My favorite part of working at SAPSSI has been Old Naledi, the community where the office is located. This is one of the poorest areas in Gaborone. You know when you see commericals on TV where someone is asking you to donate money or to sponsor a child so he or she can have food or shoes or toys or anything? This is the kind of place that they are talking about. This is exactly the environment that I wanted to be in the exactly the kind of environment that I wanted to be in. I wanted it to be shocking. I wanted it to be kind of scary. I wanted it to be humbling. I wanted it to be completely different than anything I had ever experienced-and it is, all of those things. I am SO thrilled and lucky that I get to explore and interact with this area and its people. Working in Old Naledi has been the most valuable experience that I have had in Botswana.

Road to work

Random shot of Old Naledi near the office

The best part of this trip has been interacting with the people in Old Naledi. We walk to a tuck shop, which is a little shack that sells things like snacks, cigarettes, and small items, to get a snack called fat cakes (fried dough-soooo good! but called "fat" cakes for a reason...haha) and fresh chips (french fries) with this AMAZING seasoning on them. The kids roam around, with no parents in sight, and explore these strange white people walking around their neighborhood. We quickly found out what kids were saying when they yelled "Makua! Makua! Makua!", meaning "White People! White People! White People!" It's pretty entertaining.

The kids in Old Naledi, and everywhere we have been in Gaborone, LOVE getting their picture taken. We started by taking a few pictures of two or three neighborhood girls and ended up having a photoshoot with neighborhood kids who would shrike and squeal with excitement after seeing a picture of themselves. A lot of them don't wear shoes, and a lot of them wear the same clothes day after day. A lot of the little babies run around with shirts on but no bottoms or diapers, since they aren't potty trained. They have snot all over their faces but have the biggest, most amazing smiles, and their giggles, oh my goodness. You can't help but have a the biggest smile on your face. We have gotten to play soccer with them, take a million pictures, and I even got to play pattycake with a little guy would was only big enough to waddle around. He had wet his pants so I didn't have him sit on my lap, but I had an incredible moment with him. A lot of these kids, even the toddlers, look like little adults. They walk around independently at a MUCH younger age than kids in the U.S. do. I think it is because at home we are always in such a rush we don't have time to let our newly-walking babies just walk on their own. Instead, we scoop them up and carry on in order to save time. These babies just walk walk walk walk walk. Kate and I keep saying "little man!" when we see baby boys walking around and standing in their yards, checking out the strangers walking by. The local kids even sang for us, which cannot even be described...I wanted to get pictures and videos but they would've gotten distracted by the camera and I didn't want them to stop singing. These kids have been such a HUGE source of joy for me and I am so thankful to be able to talk to them and play with them. The best way to describe these kids is with pictures, so here are a LOT.

The first "little man," wearing no pants and no diaper, but rocking the moon boots. :)

Kate's new friend-she didn't really know what to think of us :)

local kids waving...they LOVE waving to the white people :)

neighborhood kids, starting to multiply because of the camera

Chris and Jenny, playing a serious game of football

A little prince who lives across the street from SAPSSI

dirty baby feet :)

Some kids with Me, Chris and Jenny

my little friend :)