This is just a quick note to the BOTS7 group -- the next wave of Peace Corps Volunteers assigned to Botswana in 2008. I remember how wildly excited I was to get my invitation, at around Christmas a year ago. Really, only a year ago? Things I'm most appreciative of here in D'Kar, Botswana are:

-- my Peace Corps issued mosquito net (and the spare I packed hasn't hurt either!)

-- my chacos (Chaco gives a discount to PCVs who send them their invitation letter.) :-) Thx Tina!

-- my laptop and multiple USB/SD card readers and the ability to watch DVDs (region 2 here)

-- my camera and many 2GB SD cards (used for photos, and computer backups)

-- my paid virus scan software

-- ziplock bags

-- laminated world map to show people where I'm from, and to look up other countries

-- access to US bank accounts and credit cards (you will need your own savings to make the most of the time here; the Peace Corps allowance really won't cut it if you want to travel or live while you are here.)

-- laminated world map to show people where I'm from, and to look up other countries

-- battery recharger and the rechargeable batteries for all my appliances since I've not been able to find rechargeable batteries here.

Useful things to have:

-- unlocked cell phone so that you just need to get a sim card when you get here (and sidewinder recharger for emergency use or in case your homestay or posting has no electricity).

-- clothes that don't need ironing.

-- skirt/dresses to wear to kgotla meetings (women can't wear pants).

-- headlamp for getting around the village (or your home) when there is no electricity

-- compass (if you are directionally challenged like me) because in small villages there are no street names, or streets, come to mention it.

-- I don't have one, but an ereader with lots of books on it would be good.

-- photos of friends, family and home to share with host family and locals.

-- DVD viewing software on your laptop; you will have to make a choice about what region code you want to use; region 2 which is South Africa, or keep it on region 1 (USA) depending on how you plan to obtain DVDS.

Things I didn't pack, but should have:

-- savings because really the Peace Corps settling in allowance isn't enough to "settle in" at all

-- copies of free software that I'd normally just quickly download from the Internet but which costs a fortune to download over dialup connections (e.g. iTunes, Adobe Reader, Spybot Search and Destroy, Firefox, Skype, Windows XP Service Pack 2, etc.)

-- copies of paid software that is useful

-- all learning software for kids or for typing that I can get my hands on

-- a good map of Botswana and a good map of Southern Africa

-- a "Lets go" or "shoestring" or other guide to Botswana or Southern Africa

Tip for training:

When you go to the homestay, pack a little of anything that you think you'll need, regardless of whether it is promised to be provided for you or not. (e.g. small towel, sunscreen, water bottle, snacks, vitamins, etc.) The reality here in Botswana is that things don't work out as planned at least as often as they do, so best to rely on yourself for the basics.Comments:

-- I did use the sheets they suggested for curtains in my house -- but I'm an NGO volunteer, and I think the DACS, CCB and LifeSkill volunteers will usually get government houses which will likely have curtains, so look to see which group you are in. (Yep, when I got the invitation, I really didn't realize there were different groups -- there was just a maze of acronyms.)

-- It was good to have learned a little Setswana before coming. I think Peace Corps has some sound bites on their website, and it makes the initial settling in easier if you are not also overwhelmed with basic greetings.-- If you want to do some other research before coming; look up a bit on symptoms of culture shock, because you will experience it, even if you don't recognize it. You may see it in the other volunteers and just think they are "fussy" or "needy" or plain irritating -- but it is part of the culture shock.

I'll add to this list as I think of more things. If any of you have questions, please feel free to post them here, or drop me an email at rachaelbrennan at gmail dot com.

Welcome! It is an exasperating and exhilerating experience. Both fun, and frustrating.

Rachael (Tshiamo) Brennan

Yep -- you'll get a Tswana name also.

There is something to be said for taking a couple of days of completely unjustifiably lazy time. Like last weekend, where for two days I did nothing beyond sleep, eat constantly, read a couple of novels, and hide out at home with my curtains closed, failing to even answer SMSes. My only contact was an hour or two with the boys, (Eric and two or three others) where we made paper planes, colored them in and had a competition to fly them as far as we could on my back verandah. These boys are about 11 or 12 years old, and are finishing primary school this year. I keep trying to impress on them the value of finishing school, and I think Eric at least can see that his best chance for the travel he wants to do is through education. I love that each time he visits he wants to look at the world map, and to see photos of different places on my laptop. Frequently asked questions include: “Do they have sand there?” – of San Francisco, of Melbourne, of Las Vegas. And, “Do they have sports stadiums?” and “What language do they speak?” A lot of rough edges but this kid is smart and has a wonderfully inquiring mind.But, after ten luxurious days in Gaborone for the Kuru Art Exhibition, and after having had lovely (non-stop) visits from Daz, Mum and Ernie over the past 2 months, this week I’m back in action! (There are coffee shops in Gabs, and I DO miss having a coffee shop. The closest one is about 4+ hours by bus away in Maun....)It has been a good week – although I have to say, Monday was hard; a multi disprin/panadeine day where I just kept reminding myself that it is always hard the first day back after time away. Repeated and repeated like a mantra till I got through the day. But, going well since. Let me see – although I still haven’t started the scouts; I checked in with (boss) Hendrik about it so he understands that I’m a bit stuck on starting. Then, today, I met the teacher who Kago (Peace Corps Volunteer in New Xade) told me started the scouts in New Xade. Yeah! He said he was up for working with me to set it up and we’ve scheduled a meeting next week! Woo hoo!! I do hope he stays at the school a while. He was refreshing as he said that he found D’Kar easy after New Xade. Wow. First person I’ve heard say it like that.Oh, must go and water my plants. BRB.Done. Oh, how unpleasant that was, with the swarm of moths, stick insects, and other flying critters buzzing frantically around the light fitting there. They flutter down my dress, in my hair, around my ankles; droning, flapping and desperately circling. Makes me tempted to just spray Doom outside to see them drop… like flies.But, back to the week. Well, one night I potted some more plants in my tins and pots where the plants haven’t survived. Tonight I painted two yoghurt containers, two tins and my first (somewhat flimsy) paper mache pot. So my garden (hung outside the reach of the goats) is growing. Hmmm, I wonder if any of my plants that were scattered around San Francisco when I left have survived…Funny the knocks and creaks and bangs in this little cabin. Sometimes I don’t know if it is just house noises, insect noises, animal noises (the cats, wild critters, or even goats), or people out there. I’ve got the curtains open tonight, hoping that at least the double glass doors exposed to the cool air outside will help cool the house down. I’m not willing to open the doors for fear of the bugs. I’ve already Doomed each room inside, to get the bugs away from the lights. So, of course, that means there is the inevitable collection of dragonfly, moth and other stick insects scudding in death circles on the floor.So, it is hot, oil paint fumed, Doomed, and actually humid inside for a change. The humidity is a side effect of my foolishly leaving a tap running all afternoon. Yes, when I popped home for lunch today (I love that 1 ½ hour lunch habit, and living 1 minute from the office) I went to fill the sink to wash the dishes. Unfortunately, as frequently occurs here, the tap was open, but there was no water. I left it a while to see if the water would run, and got distracted. In fact, I worked right through lunch, putting together a spreadsheet on the grade 7 end-of-year results, and redid the diagram of the role of D’Kar Trust and the community and the church council, putting the community at the bottom and the church members at the top. The moruti (minister) couldn’t stand the idea of the church at the bottom and the people above that. Ironic, as I had thought it would be more diplomatic to put the people first, but in reality, I guess his way is how it is; the congregation here holds the power, owns the land, and gets to say what happens with it.So, anyway, I happily tapped away at my laptop all lunch time, gobbling the pasta salad I had made previously, and downing a couple of pints of cordial, as I seem to do very frequently here. (It is somewhere between 35 and 45 Celsius here most days lately, with about zero percent humidity, of course.) Then off to work again, completely forgetting the open tap.So, tonight, after a very successful meeting at the primary school where we requested some photocopier quotations, and discussed the photocopier funding proposal, and scheduled computer classes for the weekend, and chatted, I walked back to my place with Mma Motlogelwa for a cuppa and some of the chocolate brownies I baked yesterday at lunchtime. Well, there was 3-4 inches of water throughout my house when I got here.Thank, thank, thank goodness, this morning Lessie from the art project had rounded up the troops to help me move all the artwork, catalogues, posters and other art supplies that have been sitting on my floor since last Friday night. I am so grateful for that; I must mention to her tomorrow.And, although I had a spaghetti of wires on the floor, mostly in the bedroom, the water was only an inch or two deep there, and although the circuits had been tripped, nothing appears to be irreversibly damaged. Of course, I’m planning to let the power strip dry out completely before I test that theory! And my laptop was in the office. Gee, even my laundry I had picked up and put in the closet, so it wasn’t drenched on the floor. And, no books on the floor – which is a miracle, since I’ve taken to dumping things down there when I run out of shelf space. Really, another incentive to stay organized.So, why else is it a good week? Well, we have (finally) scheduled the kgotla meeting for Friday, and I’ve put together most of the documents for it. I must see if I can upload the pics and put together a pamphlet for the wild plum pip collection opportunity. P5 (about US$1, at the current exchange rates) per kilo for pips seems like a good deal for whoever wants to start collecting. I understand that the pips will be crushed for oil.And, the start of some good, open, and hopefully regular communication between D’Kar Trust and the residents of D’Kar. Yeah! I like that we’ll clarify the role of D’Kar Trust, and its mission: To assist the D’Kar community, especially those that (sic) are poor and marginalized, to develop sustainable livelihoods through education and community mobilization.What else? Oh, I think I’ve lined up speakers for next Friday’s mobilization workshop (our third monthly meeting!) CEDA and Ministry of Youth and Health will speak on getting funding for projects. Next workshop I think it will be good to have the LEA (Local Enterprise Authority) to speak on grant writing and project planning. I need to take a little time at the start of the day to hear from the participants what they’ve heard back from their wards, and what projects they want to take on. And, at some point, if we have time, we can discuss “community based projects” versus “entrepreneurial projects”. It will be good to have those distinguished. I’m happy to assist with all projects, but want everyone to be clear about the intentions and goals for each. I also got some great info from Jason (Peace Corps Volunteer, Bots 5) who has created an interface in PHP for people in Botswana to upload a gallery of info about themselves and products they are hoping to sell on eBay. Cool; a good project for the Christmas break. I should find out about shipping and handling rates to USA and Europe so that I can include that info. Hmmm, a good excuse for a trip to Maun? Ok, ok, I know, they do have phones.Maybe I can talk to Hendrik about buying a set of scales – both for the pip project and for weighing artwork for shipping purposes.I don’t know what else contributes to my sense of wellbeing this week, but I like it. [Speculations censored from blog.] Nice chats with Coby and Hessel this week also. Oh, I must get the Naro/Setswana HIV/AIDS coloring book stuff moving again; Coby is more on top of it than I am.Ok, just took a moment to calendar some reminders to myself. Oh, I must find and update my “to do” list. It was really helpful to put all the projects on a single page this week and get perspective on all that I’m up to right now. Really satisfying to realize that there are over a dozen balls in the air right now; from the kgotla meetings (community communication) to the mobilization workshops, to the primary school photocopier funding request, to the starting scouts/guides, to mother tongue education on HIV/AIDS, to preparations for World AIDS Day (December 1st) Art Competition, to online art/craft sales, to computer training, to creation of a resource center for people to work or make job, grant, or loan applications, to following up on the current entrepreneurial projects, to supporting the pilot program to “create a coaching culture” to cause San leadership in the organization, to learning about setting up and maintaining computer networks and then, of course, all the administrative stuff, from booking people in the hostel while Setsego is away, to preparing documentation for the annual report. This week’s new insect invasion seems to be caterpillars. From teeny weeny caterpillars that measure less than 2 millimeters, to crawlies that are about an inch or inch and a half. It is odd to see the cycles; a couple of weeks ago there were millipedes everywhere. They came with the sprinkles of rain, and I would go out the door to see their tracks everywhere in the sand, and there could be 20 of them on the verandah. They also ranged from about 2 inches up to about 8 inches towards the end. Now I’ve not seen them at all; probably need to wait for the next rainfall. Oh, since this seems to be a bug filled report, let me tell you the thing that icked me out this week – finding a big dead spider near my pillow in the morning yesterday! How did it get in (since I do have full mosquito netting on the bed – important since a fellow PCV, and a coworker both came down with malaria in the last month), how long was it there, and how did it get killed? All unpleasant questions that have me checking the bedding, checking my shoes, shaking my towel and all that. Probably a good idea since the wet time is also scorpion season.But, enough, enough, about the bugs. I’ll put off potential visitors!Thanksgiving next week will be big here. I think there are about a dozen PCVs who will be congregating in Ghanzi for the weekend. I’ll hitch down there and contribute a non-traditional fruit salad, because I love that in this weather. It will be good to exchange ideas and experiences. I think that one of the big strengths that Peace Corps brings is the network of people working together.Ok, I’m going to stop now. I am breaking with tradition and blogging this because a number of people have asked me to do so. I’ll pop it up when I get Internet access tomorrow morning. And, a quick thank you to all my livejournal friends whose updates take me to another world on those days when D’Kar feels very very small.Love,

RachaelP.S. Morning update. Ugh. Fortunately, I took the precaution of tucking my mosquito net into my mattress last night and didn't venture out during the night, because this morning I had well over a hundred of those caterpillars all around my bed, on the floor and the wall -- but none in my bed! I wonder if they were attracted inside because of the water spill yesterday, or maybe they were just attracted to the light in my room. Yep, I often sleep with my light on, because if I get up, I like to know what exactly I'm putting my hands and feet on, before I get to the light switch! Ugh, ugh, caterpillar cleanup consists of trying not to squash them (messy) and trying to brush the writhing mass into a shovel to throw outside before they crawl off. At least they don't seem harmful -- imagine trying to do this with the Australian spitfire caterpillars!

Hi folk,

As you know, I've moved to sending irregular email updates on life here in Botswana. If anyone is not on my list and would like to get those updates, let me know at rachaelbrennan@gmail.com.

Now, for the plea for help.

Can anyone recommend for me a reliable (and ideally inexpensive) hosting company for me to use for a website we'll be creating to display San artwork? We have purchased the domain, and just want somewhere to host the site which will gallery various paintings done here at Kuru. I don't expect a huge amount of traffic, but would like a hosting company that can show basic traffic stats. Will need to use Windows tools. Ideally I'd like to be able to keep a database and run some simple scripts, but initially won't need that.

Any tips appreciated.

This month I'm happily enjoying my mother's visit; challenged by the creation of an activity schedule for boy scouts and girl guides and finding distraction in Internet and computer challenges.

Thanks,

Rachael

A pic overlooking Mochudi, Botswana – Precious Ramotswe’s home town.

I am enjoying a brief respite from training near Gabarone, visiting with another Peace Corps Volunteer who has been based here for a year. It is wonderful to have electricity, running hot and cold water, a bath, (expensive) Internet time, great food, and our own Cinco de Mayo celebration here. Last night we had amazing home-made Ethiopian food made by our host’s fiance. If my posting is anywhere near this luxurious then that would be great! Of course, I can’t influence that, and realistically, this is not likely, as this is a government position posting, and my role is to work with a non-government organization. Unfortunately, NGOs don’t tend to have the money that the government does! Training, learning Setswana and living with a host family is challenging, of course. As expected. But, come June 22nd, I’ll appreciate having the learning, and it will make having my own place and posting all the sweeter. But, as an immediate luxury I do have a cell phone and where we are training I have coverage. Well, I have it when I can get it charged – some of my friends have electricity. Would love to hear from you, but I should warn you that I’ve not yet figured out the voicemail on it. +267-7178-3412. The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent the Peace Corps or the US government in any way.

Made it along with 42 other "Bots 6" volunteers to Gabarone, Botswana. We will likely not have any regular internet access during our training, and may not have it at all during our volunteer time.

The Batswana (people of Botswana) are very friendly and helpful, and it looks like it will be a great posting.

More news when I can!

Thank you again to the wonderful wonderful people who have seen me off, supported me and helped me to be here.

Rachael

The opinions expressed here are personal opinions of the author and do not represent the Peace Corps or the United States of America.

Peace Corps status :

Where? Botswana, Africa (CIA map and info) (For those who, like me, are geographically challenged -- a little country above South Africa; relatively stable and developed. Uncomfortably close to Zimbabwe.)

When? April 18, 2007

Doing what? Non-Government Organization Capacity Builder, AIDS Service Organization Capacity Building Project (probably working with a small community based organization working in the area of orphans and vulnerable children.) My best interpretation of this is that I'll be village-based, creating programs, (design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation) to increase citizen participation and volunteering, in learning about HIV/AIDS, programs and services available, and reducing stigma and discrimination. I'm supposed to be developing networks between non-government organizations, government, private sector and international organizations. Hmmmm. I guess I'll figure it out as I go along. Probably fits into the usual "do what I think needs to be done."

Next steps? Now: Finish up at my temporary job with the Aged Care and Disability department of the local council here in Melbourne on April 5th. (Those early farewell drinks tonight were good!) Say g'bye to my Melbourne family & friends.

April 8th, fly to SF and tie up loose ends there, and say g'bye to my SF friends.

April 15, fly to Philadelphia for "Staging" to meet my new Botswana buddies ("Bots-6"). Sing kumbaya. Get more vaccinations (although I think I shot up half my salary in Melbourne into my arms).

April 18, fly over to Botwana together to start 2 month intensive language (Setswana) and culture training program ("PST" -- pre service training).

June 23, 2007 - June 22, 2009 Service in Botswana. Open to visitors! (Although I don't technically get weekends off, I do accrue a couple of days of vacation every month, so visitors will be a welcome part of my life!)

Mid-November 2006 -- Honduras -- Copan

I followed the plan, at least to Copan. Saw the ruins there. Loved them. Took amazing photos. Met an interesting British guy, Colin, and spent the afternoon walking the ruins with him. Had my camera with pics on it all stolen from my hotel room while I was out at dinner with Brian (the Scot) and Colin (the Brit). (Photos below are courtesy of Colin.) Influenced by the Brit, decided to detour further into Honduras for a day or two. Resisted the temptation to go with him to Roatan and dive, and instead headed (somewhat circuitously, as is necessary on the Honduras bus system) up to the east coast of Guatemala towards Livingston.

Pictures from the Mayan ruins at Copan, Honduras.

Late November 2006 -- Livingston and Rio Dulce and up to Tikal

Livingston was a different pace altogether from any of Honduras or Guatemala to date. Made up of four major populations (indigenous people, Spanish, garifuna and tourists) it was quite diverse. Perhaps because I was traveling alone there, I was more susceptible to the blandishments of the young Romeos, and older crooks. However, I left the town just a few dollars lighter than I should have, and otherwise intact, and took the scenic boat ride down to Rio Dulce, followed by the four-plus-hour standing-room-only bus trip up to Flores (near Tikal). The ride was enlivened as the young Canadian (Leo) who I met on the boat ride steadily became attached to the idea of doing a trek to El Mirador.

Early December 2006-- El Mirador -- trekking in the jungle

The El Mirador trek that Leo and I schemed to do was a 6-day trek, described by Lonely Planet as "not for the faint of heart" and included over 120 km of muddy jungle walking. We were not feeling faint (yet). Leo and I spent the day at Tikal asking other tourists if they wanted to join us, to all-round rejections. We determined that we'd do it with just the two of us (and the guide, and the mule man, and the 4 mules) if necessary, and signed up with a local agent. He arranged to pick us up at 5:30 am on Monday, for the bus ride out to Carmelita. We were ready for anything. But, still we were surprised. As we boarded the mini-bus, the agent told us that he had arranged another person to join us, and we gathered it was the "somewhat worse for wear" German who collapsed in the back of the bus behind us, as Leo and I continued our vehement discussion about the morality and legality of bestiality, and the bus minus its suspension system careened along potholed roads.

So, if you are trying to picture the trek, imagine a hardy older Guatemalan man (Hector), who, though slight, is amazingly resilient, leading at a comfortable near-jog pace that could maintain all day. He is carrying a machete at one side, which he pulls out to hack a path when necessary, and he carries a bag bigger than any of our daypacks, supported by a band across his forehead and some rope over his shoulders. Following close behind, and sometimes racing ahead in some unspoken testosterone competition, are two twenty-something guys; Leo from Canada and Manuel from Germany. And eyes goggling, panting, stumbling, and complaining, is Rachael bringing up the rear. Somewhere in the distance, Miguel, the super-fit mule man is carrying (or dropping) our endless food supply of textured vegetable protein, hearts of palms in bottles, pancake mix, canned drinks, and other insane products, never designed for camping, on the back of 4 mules. Occasionally, when Miguel is ahead of us, we find trace of his passing with a fallen jar of jam, or juice, which we rescue and Hector adds to his capacious handmade backpack.

From Hector's pack regularly emerges such things as a huge chopping board, knife, pineapple, melon and Hector whips up a fruit snack, while we catch our breath and tend to blisters. Of course, we don't stop as regularly as I crave sustenance, so my pack contains the emergency rations of chocolate and cookies.

A colorful character who regularly stops to explain Mayan structures, local plant lore and customs, Hector speaks only Spanish, and mumbles that. Manuel steps up as translator, and I give up on trying to communicate in Spanish, resorting to "no, no, help, Manuel, please tell Hector that I don't want to go on a detour. I want the fastest path to El Mirador. I'm tired. Directa, directa, por favor."

El Mirador -- our destination -- is an amazing Mayan city thriving around 200 BC; still relatively unexplored, deep in the Guatemalan jungle. We had the opportunity (and foolhardiness to brave mosquitos, spiders, and other jungle critters) to spend one night out under the full moon, sleeping at the top of El Tigre, one the temples there..

Well, we all survived the trek, very grateful that we took the longer six-day trek, rather than the more torturous and muddy five-day trek. And, I discovered that I really enjoyed the company of the German. He cleaned up well, and I felt very lucky to visit some of the most beautiful areas of Guatemala with him (the falls at Semuc Champey) and then regretfully said farewell in Antigua before returning to San Francisco.

My time in San Francisco was great; way too brief, and missing altogether seeing a number of folk I care about; so I hope to remedy that with my flying visit there in... goodness one week or so.

Late December till now, Melbourne

Coming to Melbourne was wonderful; home -- again. I love coming home, whether I'm flying into San Francisco or into Melbourne. Some of the luxuries that hit me included my very supportive and tolerant family -- the joys of own bedroom, bathroom use of a clean kitchen, toilets where you can flush the toilet paper down. Oh, and on the toilet topic -- half flush toilets because Australia is all to familiar with drought. It has been a hard summer in Australia, with water levels dropping, and water restrictions in force; for example, watering gardens can only be done with a hand-held hose, between 6 am to 8 am (or 8 am to 10 am if you happen to be over the age of 70) on Saturdays and Tuesdays if you live in an even numbered house. No washing cars is permitted except with recycled water. And, the restrictions are likely to get harsher.

My mother has been her usual amazing self during my visit here; managing to arrange to have a car for my exclusive use for the entire visit; providing the most wonderful meals for me every day; giving me privacy, understanding, space and just plain good company.

It has been great to spend time with family. Dad and I have had some very pleasant walks around Blackburn Lake together; Bronwyn organized a great family beach vacation which included scuba-diving with her partner, Darren, and lots of play time with my neices and nephew (Hayley, Zoe and Jack). A long weekend in Adelaide gave me a great opportunity to spend time with my brother and sister-in-law, Declan & Suzanne, and their two children, Henry & Harriette. All in all, great family time. (No, I didn't go to Europe with my brother and family; just their photos come from their trip in January 2007.)

Joan, Bronwyn, Rachael; Joseph, Rachael, Joan

Bronwyn, Joan, Joseph; Zoe, Hayley, Jack

Stephen, Zoe, Jack; Hayley

Declan, Harriette, Suzanne, Henry; Henry, Joan, Joseph, Harriette, Rachael

Suzanne, Henry; Declan, Harriette

New Year's Eve -- Wilson's Promontory

One of the interests that I seem to have collected in my recent travels is a desire to trek. Daz indulged me by taking me to Wilson's Promontory for a New Year's Eve trek, and I lashed out and bought a decent backpack so I never ever have the Guatemala Backpack Nightmare again.

Rachael with snazzy new backpack; Daz, Rachael

February and March -- Cathedral Ranges

While I've been here in Melbourne, I have been lucky enough to continue to combine my newly acquired hiking interests with my soft spot for smart and cute men. After Daz abandoned me to return to SF, James kindly helped me to indulge all of those interests, sharing the Cathedral Ranges and his skills with stones.

Yeah, a couple of those pics are birds, and a couple are James. You figure.

More pics are available at:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=o0t52e1.alv9g305&x=0&y=-prgyql

Peace Corps status :

If? Yes! All restrictions, medical and otherwise, completely removed from my file.

When and where? February 2007 in a non-Spanish South American program, or June 2007 (with just a possibility of April) for an Africa placement.

Doing what? Health care and AIDS education.

Next steps? Make a choice -- this week! On the Peace Corps front, I am vacillating between ¨hold out for Africa -- it is only 2-4 months longer, in an application process that was started in December 2005¨ and ¨people are people no matter whether it is in South America or Africa, and since I know little about either posting, just get on with it¨. My decision varies from hour to hour! I miss having my friends around for a few good discussions and to clarify my thoughts and feelings. Since I ended my last email with a computer problem, I´ll start this one with an update on the saga. Oy yoy yoy. The short version: I looked inside the laptop and couldn´t see any loose wires, so I took it to a computer repair shop. The offered to replace the hard drive, and that started a daily trip there to get updates. After a week, they couldn´t replace the hard drive, they blew the motherboard, and offered to sell me a chunky older laptop as a replacement, with my data on it. I eventually acquiesced, purchased their old Compaq, and then they couldn´t move my data on to it. I took it with me, only to find there were further problems. I returned to Xela (for other reasons) and took the laptop back and they said it had a virus and they´d fix it. They didn´t, and then needed to reinstall Windows, requiring another day delay in Xela. At that point I was ready to abandon the whole laptop thing as a waste of vacation time, but they resolved the immediate virus issue in the nick of time, and I had an exciting late afternoon/evening chicken bus ride back to San Pedro la Laguna. But, backing up a bit. November 1st and 2nd are important days in most Central American countries, including Guatemala. November 1st is "All Saints Day" and November 2nd is "Day of the Dead (el dia de los muertos.) November 1st is a holiday, and hundreds of thousands of people flock to the cemeteries to paint, weed, place flowers and fly kites. November 2nd isn't an official holiday but many families visit the cemeteries again, having picnics, kite-flying, and other social activities. I had the opportunity to visit the cemetery on October 31st, with my teacher, to prepare her family plot before her mother brought all the flowers on the 1st.

More pictures at http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=o0t52e1.5rx37fwd&x=0&y=7pkpp5 .On other, more fun, topics, I took a 3-day trek with Quetzaltrekkers (an eco-friendly, volunteer trekking company, sponsoring local programs and education) from just outside Xela to Lago de Atitlan (approximately 50 km, over mountains) It was a wonderful trek, but it would have been better to be in shape beforehand! They kept boasting that it was a fast group, and that we were about an hour or two hours ahead of schedule, as I was gasping, panting, aching, and sometimes even crying at the tail end of the group. On the first night, I was in bed at 6:30 pm, before dinner was even made, and oh-so-grateful to be horizontal, even if it was on a concrete floor in what appeared to be an abandoned jail cell.

See some more pictures at http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=o0t52e1.55qumc5p&x=0&y=nxvrqu . Of course, the pics show the bits where I wasn´t puffing too much to consider pulling out the camera, so no images of the uphill or downhill scrambles! The trek ended at beautiful San Pedro, on the edge of Lago de Atitlan, and initially I was thrilled to return the drenched and smelly backpack they lent me, and have my own returned. That thrill quickly evaporated, as my backpack rapidly fell apart in the half hour trying to find Casa Lola where I was meeting a friend. It really did completely unravel, with first the right shoulder strap breaking at the bottom, and the left shoulder strap at the top, and the lid of the backpack coming apart at the seam. So, finally, I found the hotel (after the person in the store next door to it professed ignorance of its existence, recommending an alternate hotel instead) and staggered in, with all my possessions in my arms and a vow to lighten my load. That vow was kept last week, as I returned to Xela for about 36 hours to purchase a new backpack, to donate my Spanish books and other stationery to the school and of course, to discover and deal with the ongoing computer saga. Unfortunately, despite many hours of searching and various false leads, I've determined that no substantial backpack can be purchased in Xela, so I've purchased a duffel bag on wheels to keep me going. It is far from ideal, so folk who are hoping for a gift from me from Guatemala, stop hoping! After I completed the bag errand, and snatched back the laptop, and took the exciting ride back to San Pedro, I met up with my Scottish travel companion, Brian, who was waiting for me to head off to Antigua for a day or two. Here, now, Antigua is likely to be the only other place where I might find wireless Internet, and after that, this laptop is a chunky lump of metal just to be tossed a few times a day from the top of the chicken buses! One of the highlights of this weekend was walking up Volcano Pacaya, to photograph the smoking volcano, to climb over old lava streams, and to photograph burning rocks as they continue to tumble down the mountain. Oh, and tofu meals. They are pretty well equipped to handle tourists here. Tomorrow, at 4:00 am, we are heading out of Antigua on a luxury bus to Copan, just over the border in Honduras. I'm looking forward to seeing the Mayan ruins there. When we are "ruined out", we´ll probably travel up to Rio Dulce, taking a boat trip out to Livingston and back. From Rio Dulce, we'll head up to Tikal, after which we´ll part ways as Brian heads into Belize and I come down through the center of Guatemala. But, of course, like all plans, these are subject to change! Finally, I want to thank all of you for ¨signing up¨ to get these updates, and also for the wonderful responses and support you have all showed. The computer help was spot-on, and I won´t hold it against any of you that I didn´t resolve the issues you pinpointed! Similarly, thank you to everyone who has provided a sounding board for me on the Africa/South America question. All input gratefully received as I flip-flop on the matter. Link for all pics: http://www.kodakgallery.com/I.jsp?c=o0t52e1.50dcqqdp&x=0&y=-lk3v70 Link for livejournal: http://rachaelbrennan.livejournal.comLots of love, Rachael

Peace Corps status :

If? Yes!

When? Earliest opportunity February 2007.

Where? Some interesting options -- South America or South East Africa.

Doing what? Health care and education.

Next steps? Research, ask questions, make choices

So, the fantastic news I received from the Peace Corps yesterday was that all holds have been removed from my file, and I have the thumbs up to volunteer. Woo hoo! After assuring me that I can be considered for programs in Africa next year, the Africa placement officer also mentioned the following:

One of my colleagues is very interested in your application for a public health program in South America (non-Spanish-speaking) beginning in February. She felt that your sex ed training would be of great benefit and if you are interested in this type of assignment, please let me know and I'll be happy to transfer you into it. I'll also pass on to you the name and contact information for that program's Placement Officer. So, of course, this has triggered some research into which countries it could be. Turns out that the only non-Spanish speaking countries in South America where the Peace Corps sends volunteers are Guyana and Suriname. This is what the Peace Corps says on their website about each:

Suriname

(10 Peace Corps volunteers currently.)Suriname lies on the northern coast of South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean to the north, Guyana to the west, French Guiana to the east, and Brazil to the south. Dutch is the official language in Suriname, although for some ethnic groups (especially among the older generation), it is actually a second language. English is also widely spoken. Sranan Tongo, the native language of Creoles, is spoken by the younger Amerindian population, and is a lingua franca among others. Suriname is a sparsely populated country of 493,000 inhabitants living within 163,820 square kilometers, an area slightly larger than Georgia. Eighty-five percent of the population lives in urban and semi-urban areas along the Atlantic coastal zone. Approximately 33,000 Maroons (descendants of escaped African slaves) and 7,000 Amerindians, the principal inhabitants of Suriname's interior, are faced with many problems affecting their socio-economic development. Rural communities are located primarily on rivers and are isolated from the national capital because of poor and infrequent transportation. The rural communities' social structure is well-defined, effective, and follows indigenous Amerindian and African traditions. Both the Amerindian and Maroon communities are faced with such problems as lack of basic education, healthcare, proper nutrition, and employment. Suriname's centralized system of government traditionally focuses on the capital of Paramaribo and generates a high sense of dependency among the indigenous and tribal peoples of Suriname's Amazon region.

In 1995, the government of Suriname requested Peace Corps' assistance in rural community development activities for the Amerindian and Maroon communities. Volunteers work in two project areas: community health and small business development. Working in the interior, Volunteers work on activities that increase awareness of basic hygiene practices, encourage parental involvement in educational activities, promote economical development of community members, and conduct life skills training, incorporating healthy water and sanitation practices. Guyana

(59 Peace Corps volunteers currently.)Guyana is a tropical country on the northern shoulder of South America, 215,000 square kilometers in area, approximately the size of Great Britain or the combined size of the states of New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Massachusetts. It is bordered by Venezuela, Brazil, Suriname, and the Atlantic Ocean. Guyana has a population of approximately 700,000 people, largely confined to a narrow coastal strip where sugar and rice cultivation are concentrated and where the nation's capital, Georgetown, clusters at the mouth of the Demerara River.

Guyana has great potential for human resource development through the use of its vast, untapped interior regions. Elsewhere, the only sizable center of population is the bauxite town of Linden, 60 miles up-river from Georgetown. Guyana has a rich diversity of racial and ethnic groups, with people of African descent constituting 35 percent of the population, people of East Indian descent 49 percent, and people of Portuguese, Chinese, Amerindian, and mixed descent making up the remainder. Three major river systems, the Demerara, the Berbice, and the Essequibo, together with innumerable smaller rivers and creeks, drain this "Land of Many Waters" and link its vast forested and savanna interior to the coast.

Volunteers provide community health education outreach in collaboration with relevant ministries and nongovernmental organizations. They assist with existing efforts to facilitate community involvement, train service providers, and introduce new training and teaching methodologies. Volunteers in the education/information technology project address a request from the Ministry of Education to enhance its computer-training and literacy education initiative for students and educators.

Now, I guess I need to ask some questions and do some research. Find out the likelihood of me getting a healthcare posting in Africa, and the timing for such a posting. See whether vegetarianism might be better supported in Guyana or Suriname than South East Africa. Do some soul searching to see whether going to South America instead of Africa will satisfy my vision or not. Find out whether any of my friends would visit me in Suriname or Guyana instead of Africa!

Oh the glorious agony of choice instead of waiting!

I will update further when I have more information or have made a choice. I would love to hear your feedback and your thoughts!

Peace Corps status :

If? Still uncertain.

When? Still unknown, earliest first quarter 2007.

Where? Still unknown, probably somewhere in South East Africa.

Doing what? Still unknown, probably assisting in health care and education.

Next steps? Wait. Further Peace Corps update expected early November.

Meanwhile, life is not dull! Hoping for a Peace Corps posting in early 2007, I decided to take a few bonus months for (low-budget) adventures on my own. The plan is a couple of months in Guatemala, and then a couple of months in Australia, and then, hopefully a Peace Corps posting in around February 2007.

I finished up at GameLink in early October, with my "work family" throwing a wonderful farewell for me on Friday the 13th.

After taking a couple of weeks to discard, donate or store the debris that life had collected around me, on the morning of the 14th (with a little help from friends) I set off for Guatemala.

Why Guatemala, you ask? Well, I was in a bar with some co-workers... and someone mentioned Casa Xelaju (pronounced Cussa Shay La Who) and suddenly here I am. I like adventures that start with a conversation in a bar!

Since Guatemala is largely a Spanish-speaking country, and since I don't speak any languages outside of English, Australian and a smattering of American, I´m starting with a month of Spanish classes, here in Quetzaletenango (known as Xela.) It was a bit of a shock to realize that I have to learn basic grammar and that it isn't just a matter of learning a bunch of nouns and having them magically string themselves together.

Xela is a small city of about 120,000 people, in the highlands west and slightly north of Guatemala City. It is at about 2300 meters altitude, and the climate at this time of year is pleasant during the days, often rainy in the afternoons and chilly at night -- but probably better than San Francisco weather right now! The population seems to be a mix of Latino and indigenous people with few students and travellers thrown into the mix.

For anyone interested in joining me, or making such a trip themselves, living with a Guatemalan family, with 3 meals a day, and 5 hours a day of one-on-one Spanish classes will set you back about $150 per week. Add about $10-$20 per day, spending money, for coffees, internet cafe, postcards, etc. and you are set. Staying with a family is a little outside my comfort zone -- but hey, this trip isn't really focused on comfort!

I´m planning to stay here about a month, and hopefully in that time get some (very) basic Spanish. Then I'll travel around Guatemala, see some Mayan ruins, some volcanoes and maybe even the black sand beaches here.

First impressions of Guatemala have been great. While the amenities are basic, I was lucky enough to be placed with a family that has both hot water for showers and a refrigerator for fresh milk, which from all accounts are both luxuries. The man of the house is a university lecturer, his daughter a medical doctor and son an electronic engineer. Neither the son nor the daughter have been able to find any work in their professions in Guatemala, nor can they obtain a visa to leave the country. (A nightmare, of course, to someone like me, who collects career options and nationalities almost as a hobby.)

A couple of highlights between learning regular and irregular verbs have been:

-- Visiting a chocolate "factory" where some of that delightful Central American hot chocolate mix is made. It wasn't so much a factory as the kitchen table in a little stone house.

-- Visiting a small church in a small town outside of Xela, where the Saint Simon was worshipped, as the saint of vices. The church moves from house to house each year, and the chosen family keeps Saint Simon in cigarettes and alcohol and available for worship 24 hours a day.

A recent lowlight was dropping my laptop in excitement after getting the wi-fi to work. The sad machine now appears to have limited functionality. Any geeks who can give me advice?

My laptop is running Windows 2000, and can still (slowly) boot up, access the Internet through the wireless card, and the applications (such as Photoshop, Word, etc.) are useable. It runs very slowly, then at random times (rather frequently) hangs completely. I looked at the Admin Tools, Event Viewer, System Logs, and saw the following two messages repeated every 15 seconds whenever the machine is hanging. They first started to appear after I dropped it, and were not in the logs prior to that time.

Error source: atapi: the device /Device/Ide/IdePort0, did not respond within the timeout period.

Warning source: disk: An error was detected on device /Device/Harddisk0/DR0 during a paging operation.

(They are actually back slashes, but I can't find that on this keyboard!)

Any advice, anyone? Or is it time to save the quetzals and think about a new computer?

Thanks for reading!

Rachael

Unfortunately, as it turns out, I'll not be starting as a volunteer in the Peace Corps this year. I'm still hopeful for 2007!

I was fortunate enough to be able to move out my finish date at work till the end of September 2006, and then to take this stolen time as an opportunity to visit Guatemala -- where I've never traveled. I've registered to take some intensive Spanish language classes (5 hours a day, 5 days a week for a month), and live with a Guatemalan family during that time, and then I'll travel around Guatemala for another month or so. My classes and homestay are arranged by www.casaxelaju.com. I'll be staying in the town of Quezaltenango, west of Guatemala City, and I start on October 16, 2006. I was lucky enough to hear about Casa Xelaju from a coworker as we were having a drink last Friday night, and at $160 per week, for room, food and one-on-one Spanish classes 5 days a week, it seems unbeatable.

My plan (subject to whim and circumstance) is to spend a couple of months in Guatemala, and then head to Australia to spend some time with family, either by Christmas, or early January, 2007.

When the Peace Corps has a posting for me (hopefully first quarter of 2007) I'll fly back to San Francisco for a brief "orientation" and then for 3-months in-location training before the 2-year posting.

I'm excited, a little nervous and looking forward to the next phase of life. Of course, not sufficiently excited to actually pack boxes, or handle the many many logistics that should be taken care of now, and not left till the last minute!

This week I did take a step towards reducing my possessions, but not the ideal step in that direction. I lost my wallet. So, the next month will be all about replacements -- drivers license, social security card, credit cards, etc. Fortunately, I now have a US passport, so losing the green card is not the disaster it would have been last year!

Well, the updates are far more sporadic than I'd like -- because I only wanted to post major milestones, not every back and forth along the way. And the major milestones seem a long way apart!

Still, today I completed the medical approval process.

However, the September Africa position I was nominated for has been filled. All the October Africa positions require French speakers. There is a slight possibility of November. And if not November, February next year.

I have given notice at work to finish on September 8. So, now it is time to consider options. Australia by mid-September? Later? A different volunteer position in Africa? Something else? Put belongings into storage? Or get rid of things? When to give notice on the apartment?

I'm in the contemplation process. Still antisocial, failing to return calls or spend time with people or hang out, even though I know that the crazy time is about to come, and that I'll miss them later. And people have been so wonderful. So apologies if you are one of those people wondering why I dropped off the planet, and didn't return your emails or calls.

Well, who would have thought I was such a medical risk? I had imagined that citizenship would be the big hurdle, but in fact it seems to be the medical records.

Last week I found out that there were a few more hoops to jump -- more lab reports, personal statements and psychiatric examinations.

I still think I'm eminently suitable and capable of serving in the Peace Corps, but it seems like I have a little more convincing to do!

I'm hoping that by this time next week I'll have collected and resubmitted all the additional medical records, and still have a chance at my September nomination.

I'll keep you posted!

Rachael

What better day to start my Peace Corps blog than the Fourth of July?

It is my first US Independence Day as a US citizen, and I gave it my customary attention by going into the office and enjoying the opportunity to pull reports and work in relative quiet.

So, the update, as many have asked me lately is.... wait and see. I've been in this holding pattern a while, but I expect to get some more information in the coming couple of weeks.

The hope is still that I'll head out to an unspecified country in Africa in September for a secondary school computer teaching position, but the Peace Corps is very diligent in informing all applicants that everything is subject to change at all times. The application process really is good training in non-attachment.

So, for those who are interested, what will follow is a summary of the Peace Corps Application process, with my current application status, and the Peace Corps commentary about the current stage.

-- Stage 1 -- Applicant (started late December 2005)

-- Stage 2 -- Nominee (started mid-March 2006 -- not yet completed)

-- Stage 3 -- Invitee (usually minimum of 1 month of notice)

-- Stage 4 -- Trainee (3 months in destination country)

-- Stage 5 -- Volunteer (2 years)

To move from "Nominee" to "Invitee" the following clearances need to occur:

-- Dental -- Completed

-- Legal -- Completed

-- Medical -- In review (since early June -- usually takes 4-6 weeks)

-- Placement -- Pending medical

Here is the Peace Corps information (with commentary) about the Nominee Stage:

Nominee Timeline

Now that you have been nominated for Peace Corps service, there are three important phases that play a critical role in determining your eligibility for service. They are medical clearance, legal clearance, and suitability screening. The following information describes what you can expect to happen in each phase and how long it might take. We've also included reminders and tips to help you successfully complete the three phases so you can move to the next one — an invitation to serve in a specific Peace Corps assignment.



Overall Timing

On average, it takes three to nine months for a nominee to receive an invitation to serve. Your invitation will state your departure date, which may be anywhere from one to seven months in the future.



Nicaragua, 2000

The timing of your invitation depends on a number of factors, including your availability date, the skills required by current assignments, and any special needs identified during your medical clearance. Placement of married couples usually takes longer because the complexity of the assignment match is doubled. Your file will be processed according to your projected departure date.



Remember: You will not know when or where you are going until you receive your invitation. Don't make any major changes yet, such as leaving your job or selling your car. Your projected departure date may change — sometimes more than once — before your final invitation arrives.

(Since "leaving a job" for more than 9 months is way long enough, I'm thinking of traveling to Australia for an extended break if I don't get a Peace Corps assignment in September. They have indicated that if I don't leave in September, it is likely to be February before the next assignments go out. I hope that they can work with me from Australia on an assignment, and now I'm a US citizen, I can leave the country for extended periods without a problem.)

Medical Clearance

Medical clearance usually takes four to six weeks from the time we receive your completed examination forms. If you have a special need for medical accommodations, your clearance will take longer. It's always best to begin your part in the process immediately. You will receive specific instructions from the Office of Medical Services (OMS). For supporting information, see Medical Clearance.



OMS will determine if you have a worldwide clearance, a limited clearance, a deferral period, or if you are medically not qualified to serve in the Peace Corps. You must submit all requested information for this review to be completed.



Legal Clearance

The Peace Corps has established legal standards of eligibility for all applicants. (It includes US citizenship, which is one reason why this stage is taking me a long time.) A package will be sent out from Placement with the necessary forms that need to be completed. The package will be customized to your personal situation and should be returned to the Legal office.



Placement

Once you have been medically qualified and meet the legal criteria, your Placement Officer will assess your skills and suitability for service. If you are determined to be suitable, your Placement Officer will then match you to an assignment. Your assignment match is based on the academic, technical, and/or language requirements of the host country and any medical accommodation needs you may have. sweAt that point, you will be sent an invitation to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer.



While You Wait

Now is a good time to practice some important Peace Corps traits: patience and flexibility. You understandably will feel anxious or frustrated at times as you wait to receive more information. Please understand there may be times when you do not hear from the Peace Corps for some weeks — for example, while your medical clearance is being processed. This doesn't mean you are no longer being considered. The process simply takes time.



Ghana

Also, prepare to be flexible. A more lengthy medical clearance process may delay your departure date. You may receive an invitation to a region that is different from what you discussed with your recruiter or from what you requested on your application. Matching your medical accommodation needs, region and assignment interests, skills and background, and desired departure date with the requests from our Peace Corps countries is a complicated equation, and the final invitation may be different than you anticipated.



You can do other things to prepare besides practicing patience and flexibility. Consider volunteering in your community now. (Yep, on it already -- Friends of the Urban Forest, San Francisco Sex Information.) To find volunteer opportunities in your area, refer to the Get Involved section of your local recruitment office's web page, You could gain valuable experience that will help with your overseas assignment. Consider reading ahead of time about your region (Ummm. Africa is a big continent, and you can't even promise me Africa at this point!) or assignment area, or about the Peace Corps in general. (Yep, read the stories of return volunteers. Read the website.) Start looking into the arrangements you will need to make when you depart for your assignment — such matters as financial arrangements, student loans, and moving. (Nah, that will be bad enough at the time, so why drag it out?)Just remember, don't do anything final before you receive an invitation.