Well hell, I'm leaving tomorrow, which means my four months here are up.
A note about the last entry - I've actually read 12 books, The Colour Bar should be inserted there too - it's a great historical account of how Botswana's first president and key revolutionary, Seretse Khama, was exiled from colonial Botswana by the English government because he had married a white woman. His marriage really pissed off the racist white South African government so England appeased SA. Hmm...not sure how coherant that is, moving on.
It's hard to say what I'll miss most, but here are some things:
Combies - the minibuses that are the main form of public transportation in cities and big villages. They run on predetermined routes throughout the city, periodically slamming on the breaks to honk at passers-by and yell "A Re A Re!! Let's Go Let's Go! Station!!" The vehicals are really suited to hold about 16 people, but I've seen up to 21 squeezed in at one time. There are these often poorly constructed fold down seats that in an accident might snap off a finger or two - but hey, they're completely charming.
Getting Stared at All the Time and Being Constantly Misunderstood - probably wont miss that...
Really impressing unsuspecting people by speaking Setswana with them
Walking to school in Mmankgodi with Nicki, Vanessa, and Maresa
The deafening sound of hail on my tin roof in Molepolole
Just the rain in general
Turning a corner to see someone burning a broken plastic deck chair in their yard
Elephants
Not going to miss the spinichy vegitable Morogo
That's I'll I've got right now.
See you soon.
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Books I've Read
One of the things I've enjoyed so much about studying abroad is the abundance of time and lack of distractions that have given me a chance to read a lot. Here's a list of what I've read so far, in semi-chronological order (as best as my memory can produce) with a few comments.
On the Road - Jack Kerouac: I really enjoyed this, I can see how it would have been totally radical in its time, but it wasn't so much for me. Still, it captures 50's America in a really lucid way.
Far and Beyon' - Unity Dow: Required reading with great dialogs and painful narration.
Place of Reeds - Caitlin Davies: A vivid and powerful account of one English woman's life in Botswana.
Mountains Beyond Mountains - Tracy Kidder: A really amazing story about a doctor, Paul Farmer, who travels the world trying to improve healthcare for all. In one of the greatest coincidences of this century, I actually met a doctor who worked with Paul Farmer while I was interning at a hospital in Molepolole. She also went to Pomona. Madness.
Bel Canto - Ann Patchett: A sappy and not-believable romance novel about hijackers and such, lame.
IV - Chuck Klosterman: A collection of essays, magazine articles, and fiction writen throughout Klosterman's career. Really great social commentary on pop culture, completely hilarious. He can make you interested in people, music groups, etc that you never cared about before.
Everything Is Illuminated - Johnathan Safran Foer: Ooo, I loved this book a lot. The way Foer writes is hilarious as the Romanian character Sasha, who's in love with his thesaurus even though he uses incorrectly.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows - J.K. Rowling: I pissed off a lot of Harry Potter diehards in my group by reading the last book first. I enjoyed it a lot, certainly a lot more than I thought I would.
The Slate Diaries - Various: This is a compilation of essays written from slate.com, basically blog before "the blog" existed. Famous writers/important people and also the average citizens contributed in a daily diary style fashion for a week each. Really interesting and humorous insights.
Death and the Penguin - Andrey Kurkov: One of those darkly humorous post-Soviet satires, I guess, that's what the back cover says. A funny and quirky story about a struggling Ukrainian writer who writes obituaries for a local paper but gets accidentally entangled in the mafia. The main character also has a pet penguin that Kurkov renders perfectly, as if we all knew exactly what it's like to have a pet penguin.
In Cold Blood - Truman Capote: Almost finished with this one. This story is what I imagine you'd get if you combined Fargo and On the Road. I had seen the movie Capote, which is about Truman Capote's experience writing the book (not a movie of the book at all, per se). So I definitely had a different perspective going into it, knowing that writing In Cold Blood took such an emotional tole on Capote that he was never the same again. Really good and completely fascinating.
I'd strongly recommend all of these books, except Bel Canto which felt more like drug store book rack melodrama than legitimate fiction. Far and Beyon' did reveal insights into Setswana culture, sure. But man, Dow would just keep beating you over the head with the morals/lessons she wanted you to take away from the book, even though they were obvious to begin with.
At 11 books in four months, that's easily a personal record. It would have been more, but I ran out in Molepolole about a week into the three week stay.
On the Road - Jack Kerouac: I really enjoyed this, I can see how it would have been totally radical in its time, but it wasn't so much for me. Still, it captures 50's America in a really lucid way.
Far and Beyon' - Unity Dow: Required reading with great dialogs and painful narration.
Place of Reeds - Caitlin Davies: A vivid and powerful account of one English woman's life in Botswana.
Mountains Beyond Mountains - Tracy Kidder: A really amazing story about a doctor, Paul Farmer, who travels the world trying to improve healthcare for all. In one of the greatest coincidences of this century, I actually met a doctor who worked with Paul Farmer while I was interning at a hospital in Molepolole. She also went to Pomona. Madness.
Bel Canto - Ann Patchett: A sappy and not-believable romance novel about hijackers and such, lame.
IV - Chuck Klosterman: A collection of essays, magazine articles, and fiction writen throughout Klosterman's career. Really great social commentary on pop culture, completely hilarious. He can make you interested in people, music groups, etc that you never cared about before.
Everything Is Illuminated - Johnathan Safran Foer: Ooo, I loved this book a lot. The way Foer writes is hilarious as the Romanian character Sasha, who's in love with his thesaurus even though he uses incorrectly.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows - J.K. Rowling: I pissed off a lot of Harry Potter diehards in my group by reading the last book first. I enjoyed it a lot, certainly a lot more than I thought I would.
The Slate Diaries - Various: This is a compilation of essays written from slate.com, basically blog before "the blog" existed. Famous writers/important people and also the average citizens contributed in a daily diary style fashion for a week each. Really interesting and humorous insights.
Death and the Penguin - Andrey Kurkov: One of those darkly humorous post-Soviet satires, I guess, that's what the back cover says. A funny and quirky story about a struggling Ukrainian writer who writes obituaries for a local paper but gets accidentally entangled in the mafia. The main character also has a pet penguin that Kurkov renders perfectly, as if we all knew exactly what it's like to have a pet penguin.
In Cold Blood - Truman Capote: Almost finished with this one. This story is what I imagine you'd get if you combined Fargo and On the Road. I had seen the movie Capote, which is about Truman Capote's experience writing the book (not a movie of the book at all, per se). So I definitely had a different perspective going into it, knowing that writing In Cold Blood took such an emotional tole on Capote that he was never the same again. Really good and completely fascinating.
I'd strongly recommend all of these books, except Bel Canto which felt more like drug store book rack melodrama than legitimate fiction. Far and Beyon' did reveal insights into Setswana culture, sure. But man, Dow would just keep beating you over the head with the morals/lessons she wanted you to take away from the book, even though they were obvious to begin with.
At 11 books in four months, that's easily a personal record. It would have been more, but I ran out in Molepolole about a week into the three week stay.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
Random Thoughts
So I'm at work right now, and like most places in Botswana, there is a TV going 24/7.
The weirdest thing about it though, is that Batswana (citizens plural of Botswana) are OBSESSED with wrestling, like WWF Hulk Hogan style wrestling. And, as far as I can tell from the exclamations of "Tjo Tjo Tjo" (translation: "oh crap!") coming from the other cubicals, not to mention other observations, everyone here thinks it's REAL!!!
AHHHH!!!
The weirdest thing about it though, is that Batswana (citizens plural of Botswana) are OBSESSED with wrestling, like WWF Hulk Hogan style wrestling. And, as far as I can tell from the exclamations of "Tjo Tjo Tjo" (translation: "oh crap!") coming from the other cubicals, not to mention other observations, everyone here thinks it's REAL!!!
AHHHH!!!
Another Week - Another Article
Global Fund Rejects Botswana Proposal
I have to say I'm pretty proud of this one. I'm getting the hang of doing the necessary background research for these articles, by pulling from various different sources, calling those in the know, etc. I enjoy the writing, but newspaper articles require a style I'm not totally used to. But it has been a fun challenge. Mostly I just try to channel Bill Plaschke's philosophy: If you're not crying by the end, I haven't done my job.
I have to say I'm pretty proud of this one. I'm getting the hang of doing the necessary background research for these articles, by pulling from various different sources, calling those in the know, etc. I enjoy the writing, but newspaper articles require a style I'm not totally used to. But it has been a fun challenge. Mostly I just try to channel Bill Plaschke's philosophy: If you're not crying by the end, I haven't done my job.
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
My Articles Online
So two weeks have gone by and I've had as many articles published in the newspaper. Here are the online versions for your reading pleasure.
The First One
The Second One
Things are going well here. 3 weeks to go, but I'm not counting. I know I will miss Botswana and Africa in general, but I miss my family, my home, my friends a lot too. I think it's going to be really strange coming home, the first few weeks anyways.
Coming here has made me think about what I want to do in the near future and I'm starting to get a few short term thoughts in focus. I'd like to move out of Los Angeles for a short while after college in conjunction, or separately from, graduate school of some kind. I'd like to continue traveling abroad a lot - starting hopefully next summer with an internship in Europe through the EU Center of California (part of the Claremont Colleges). For people thinking "Fulbright," I'm not particularly interested in teaching, but who knows. My mini-dream right now is to get a job/internship related to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, which would be a nice union of my love of international goings-on and sports.
But for right now, I have to go bug the editor for some assignemnts.
The First One
The Second One
Things are going well here. 3 weeks to go, but I'm not counting. I know I will miss Botswana and Africa in general, but I miss my family, my home, my friends a lot too. I think it's going to be really strange coming home, the first few weeks anyways.
Coming here has made me think about what I want to do in the near future and I'm starting to get a few short term thoughts in focus. I'd like to move out of Los Angeles for a short while after college in conjunction, or separately from, graduate school of some kind. I'd like to continue traveling abroad a lot - starting hopefully next summer with an internship in Europe through the EU Center of California (part of the Claremont Colleges). For people thinking "Fulbright," I'm not particularly interested in teaching, but who knows. My mini-dream right now is to get a job/internship related to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, which would be a nice union of my love of international goings-on and sports.
But for right now, I have to go bug the editor for some assignemnts.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Lunch
File Under: The Continual Absurdity That Is My Existence in Botswana
Today for lunch I am eating a brie and carmalized onion toasted sandwich. With this I also bought a cappuccino and a bag of 6 chocolate chip cookies for a total of about $8.50.
I can't say this is what I imagined in Botswana, but it's Botswana none the less, and really really delicious.
Today for lunch I am eating a brie and carmalized onion toasted sandwich. With this I also bought a cappuccino and a bag of 6 chocolate chip cookies for a total of about $8.50.
I can't say this is what I imagined in Botswana, but it's Botswana none the less, and really really delicious.
Tuesday, November 13, 2007
Part 3 of the Carter in Botswana Movie Trilogy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZTHqqMHuRa8
Enjoy this video of Victoria Falls. It's not technically in Botswana (at all), but I was there so it's here.
Stay tuned for the Prequels!
Enjoy this video of Victoria Falls. It's not technically in Botswana (at all), but I was there so it's here.
Stay tuned for the Prequels!
One Month Left
It's hard to imagine, but I'm now embarking down the last 1/4 of my trip. It has been an incredible experience so far, one that I am really happy I committed myself to.
Anyways...
Today is my first day working at the Gaborone (the capital) newspaper Sunday Standard. I just talked with the Editor in Chief Outsa Mokone who seemed genuinely happy to have me on board. It looks like I'll be splitting time between doing actual field assignments/article writing and editing work. The fact that I'm a writing tutor at Pitzer was a big plus and a big factor in the latter. I'm definitely nervous. The last proper article I can recall writing was for Lil' Eagle, the Brentwood middle school newspaper - an interview with Mr. McAusland I think (random!). Anyways, I jumped at the opportunity to go out into the field despite my reservations, because I trust my instincts (sort of...) and I'll gain some valuable journalistic experience (maybe), which seems like something I might be interested in doing after college, because I like writing and politics, sports, art/entertainment, etc. etc. Anyways, if there's one thing coming to and being in Botswana has been a metaphor for, then it's my attempts to force myself to do really uncomfortable things hoping that whatever doesn't kill me will probably only leave me scarred for life and probably unable to communicate with Americans on any real level........yeah. No, I'm okay, this is a really interesting place. There's a lot going on but so many problems.
The biggest one is capacity. There's a general lack of a lot of services - the most glaring is waste management. But this is basically expected given the challenges of running a country of 1.7 million people the size of Texas with a very narrow range of natural resources (of course, they have the most diamonds in the world, but poor soil for farming, sporadic rainfall, etc.) Virtually everything is imported from South Africa and 99% of retail is SA based - not a very good economic development strategy. There doesn't seem to be a lot of entrepreneurialism, but part of the problem is the lack of access to capital (or awareness of government programs), a big enough market for products, disposable income, etc.
Botswana is officially Middle-Income according to the UN, because it's GDP pre capita is something like $10,000, but the distribution is so skewed that 40% are below the poverty line and 40% are unemployed. It seems like developing some production in the country would go a long way. Tourism is supposed to be the big thing to help diversify the economy away from diamonds (which will be all dug up, polished, sold by 2025 or so). But tourism works a lot better if the lodges/companies are buying Botswana furniture, food, and eating ware, but right now that's all coming from SA. So, no profits for Bots there, no employment either.
My host brother in Gabs just told me the other day that he wants to start his own furniture company here using local wood and I practically jumped out of my seat and said "DO IT!!!" It's practically a national moral obligation - to the extent that Development is the governments main goal right now. I'm considering coming back here and starting my own Tequila production, the climate seems right for growing the Agave. But two hang-ups: 1) Alcoholism is a problem here, especially among the poor/unemployed (like everywhere in the world), I don't want to help that in any way. 2) Apparently you can't call it Tequila unless its made in Mexico, so I'd have to call it Tswana Fermented Agave Nectar - just doesn't have a good ring to it.
So maybe you've guessed that I'm just killing time at work right now until I get an assignment. But that's okay, it's good to get a chunk of time to get this all down.
Yours truly,
Carter
Anyways...
Today is my first day working at the Gaborone (the capital) newspaper Sunday Standard. I just talked with the Editor in Chief Outsa Mokone who seemed genuinely happy to have me on board. It looks like I'll be splitting time between doing actual field assignments/article writing and editing work. The fact that I'm a writing tutor at Pitzer was a big plus and a big factor in the latter. I'm definitely nervous. The last proper article I can recall writing was for Lil' Eagle, the Brentwood middle school newspaper - an interview with Mr. McAusland I think (random!). Anyways, I jumped at the opportunity to go out into the field despite my reservations, because I trust my instincts (sort of...) and I'll gain some valuable journalistic experience (maybe), which seems like something I might be interested in doing after college, because I like writing and politics, sports, art/entertainment, etc. etc. Anyways, if there's one thing coming to and being in Botswana has been a metaphor for, then it's my attempts to force myself to do really uncomfortable things hoping that whatever doesn't kill me will probably only leave me scarred for life and probably unable to communicate with Americans on any real level........yeah. No, I'm okay, this is a really interesting place. There's a lot going on but so many problems.
The biggest one is capacity. There's a general lack of a lot of services - the most glaring is waste management. But this is basically expected given the challenges of running a country of 1.7 million people the size of Texas with a very narrow range of natural resources (of course, they have the most diamonds in the world, but poor soil for farming, sporadic rainfall, etc.) Virtually everything is imported from South Africa and 99% of retail is SA based - not a very good economic development strategy. There doesn't seem to be a lot of entrepreneurialism, but part of the problem is the lack of access to capital (or awareness of government programs), a big enough market for products, disposable income, etc.
Botswana is officially Middle-Income according to the UN, because it's GDP pre capita is something like $10,000, but the distribution is so skewed that 40% are below the poverty line and 40% are unemployed. It seems like developing some production in the country would go a long way. Tourism is supposed to be the big thing to help diversify the economy away from diamonds (which will be all dug up, polished, sold by 2025 or so). But tourism works a lot better if the lodges/companies are buying Botswana furniture, food, and eating ware, but right now that's all coming from SA. So, no profits for Bots there, no employment either.
My host brother in Gabs just told me the other day that he wants to start his own furniture company here using local wood and I practically jumped out of my seat and said "DO IT!!!" It's practically a national moral obligation - to the extent that Development is the governments main goal right now. I'm considering coming back here and starting my own Tequila production, the climate seems right for growing the Agave. But two hang-ups: 1) Alcoholism is a problem here, especially among the poor/unemployed (like everywhere in the world), I don't want to help that in any way. 2) Apparently you can't call it Tequila unless its made in Mexico, so I'd have to call it Tswana Fermented Agave Nectar - just doesn't have a good ring to it.
So maybe you've guessed that I'm just killing time at work right now until I get an assignment. But that's okay, it's good to get a chunk of time to get this all down.
Yours truly,
Carter
Saturday, November 3, 2007
More Video!!
Hi Everyone,
Glad to report that I have a new video for you all to enjoy. It's a montage of clips of the wildlife in Chobe National Park in the northern part of Botswana. We visited there a few weeks ago for a "study trip," which as far as I can tell was just a really good excuse to go on safari for a week. Just follow the link to YouTube, because I think that's easier for me than to post the video directly into this blog. The music is a song that I wrote and recorded in January. Enjoy!
Love,
Carter
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiuT1XDyZKw
Glad to report that I have a new video for you all to enjoy. It's a montage of clips of the wildlife in Chobe National Park in the northern part of Botswana. We visited there a few weeks ago for a "study trip," which as far as I can tell was just a really good excuse to go on safari for a week. Just follow the link to YouTube, because I think that's easier for me than to post the video directly into this blog. The music is a song that I wrote and recorded in January. Enjoy!
Love,
Carter
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiuT1XDyZKw
Monday, October 22, 2007
ARG
For some reasons the application for uploading photos on this website is really bad. I just keeps doing nothing for long periods of time without giving me any clue of it's intentions. I'll try again later possibly with an alternative approach. But now, I must finish up a few errands.
Until then...
Until then...
Saturday, October 20, 2007
The Rockies!!!???
I leave the country for 2 months - 2 months - and the Colorado Rockies are in the World Series! Has the country devolved into chaos in my absense?
Saturday, October 13, 2007
BEHOLD: GLOBALIZATION!!!
So this is a video that I've compiled of clips from the first half of the trip. I used my laptop to edit them all together on the Windows Movie Maker program that comes standard on all copies of XP. That's right, Monday is the official half-way point. And while it's seemed to go by slowly at times, in retrospect it's been a quick 2 months. The different clips are:
1-3: A wedding in Mmankgodi
4: An Ostrich farm in Manyana (yes, said like the Spanish word for tomorrow)
5: The going away party in Mmankgodi with all of the mothers and us singing and dancing
6: A clip of the hail storm (ice falling from the sky) in Molepolole with music that I recorded of some random gentleman singing as they were walking at night.
So these last 3 weeks I've been working in the brand spanking new building of the Scottish Livingstone Hospital, which was opened in 1931 and is now run by the government. Asside from being enormous and impressive, it also seems to be a big logistal challenge for everyone involved in moving things from the old complex. It didn't help that I was supposed to start interning on the day they were moving in for the first time.
I spent my time there working in PMTCT (prevention of mother to child transmition of HIV), which is a highly successful program there that has an 85% success rate in preventing transmission. I also worked directly with an HIV/AIDS testing councelor, during which I saw about 5 people get tested, and thankfully all were negative. One of the most intense experiences of my life was watching a young nurse get tested who had pricked herself accidentally with a needle she had used to draw blood from a patient. She was barely holder than I and she was trying to hold back tears as she faced an incredible moment. I was so relieved that she was negative (by the way, now, you can get results in just 10 minutes). And, the patient she had treated was negative too.
Tonight we are leaving for the Kasane Game Reserve and Victoria Falls up north. This should be a fun weeklong vacation, and I'm looking forward to it a lot.
Until next time.
Love,
Carter
ps. if the video didn't work go here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elVbpVsWYPc
1-3: A wedding in Mmankgodi
4: An Ostrich farm in Manyana (yes, said like the Spanish word for tomorrow)
5: The going away party in Mmankgodi with all of the mothers and us singing and dancing
6: A clip of the hail storm (ice falling from the sky) in Molepolole with music that I recorded of some random gentleman singing as they were walking at night.
So these last 3 weeks I've been working in the brand spanking new building of the Scottish Livingstone Hospital, which was opened in 1931 and is now run by the government. Asside from being enormous and impressive, it also seems to be a big logistal challenge for everyone involved in moving things from the old complex. It didn't help that I was supposed to start interning on the day they were moving in for the first time.
I spent my time there working in PMTCT (prevention of mother to child transmition of HIV), which is a highly successful program there that has an 85% success rate in preventing transmission. I also worked directly with an HIV/AIDS testing councelor, during which I saw about 5 people get tested, and thankfully all were negative. One of the most intense experiences of my life was watching a young nurse get tested who had pricked herself accidentally with a needle she had used to draw blood from a patient. She was barely holder than I and she was trying to hold back tears as she faced an incredible moment. I was so relieved that she was negative (by the way, now, you can get results in just 10 minutes). And, the patient she had treated was negative too.
Tonight we are leaving for the Kasane Game Reserve and Victoria Falls up north. This should be a fun weeklong vacation, and I'm looking forward to it a lot.
Until next time.
Love,
Carter
ps. if the video didn't work go here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elVbpVsWYPc
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
All Roads Lead to Molepolole
Yup, that's where I'm headed next (pronounced mo-LAY-po-lo-LAY). Well, one month is in the books and it's been a crazy and great experience. I bathed in a tin basin with a bucket every day and walked along sandy paths in Mmankgodi (pronounced mon-koh-dee) to learn Setswana for 4 hours a day with the 9 other Americans at a Catholic Church.
The quote of the first month is definitely Kate Lucy's: "So were in Africa, and it's f-ing crazy."
I need to sit down at my laptop and hammer out the big details because I'm going blank right now. But stay tuned for more updates.
Coming up, I'll be working in a health clinic full time for 3 weeks while doing Ethnographic Field Research. Right now I'm in Gabs for a few days for the Big Village orientation.
Love you all.
The quote of the first month is definitely Kate Lucy's: "So were in Africa, and it's f-ing crazy."
I need to sit down at my laptop and hammer out the big details because I'm going blank right now. But stay tuned for more updates.
Coming up, I'll be working in a health clinic full time for 3 weeks while doing Ethnographic Field Research. Right now I'm in Gabs for a few days for the Big Village orientation.
Love you all.
Friday, August 17, 2007
Arrival!
I have arrived in Gaborone ("Gabs") and we're all staying in a hotel/conference area just outside the city. I've spent the last 3 days getting oriented to being in Botswana - learning a bit of Setswana (the language, but most speak English too), drinking lots of unbottled water, and everything else. The group is starting to bond nicely, sharing the mutual 22 hour flight goes a long way towards that end. Today we've taken a field trip into the center of the city, specifically the Main Mall, which has a lot of vendors, shops, restaurants, and internet cafes. Not a whole lot ot report on yet, but I'm moving on to my village stay tomorrow and that should provide a lot of exciting experiences and stories. Hope all is well States-side. That's all for now. I'm going to grab a bite to eat and maybe buy a cheap watch.
Go Siame.
Go Siame.
Monday, August 13, 2007
6.5 Hours Untill Departure - No Sleep
I can't seem to find sleep even though I'm supposed to be waking up in 3 hours to catch my flight. I tried to catch a glimpse of the meteor shower that's apparently happening right now, but I didn't see anything.
Currently 81° and sunny in Gaborone.
Currently 81° and sunny in Gaborone.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
3 Weeks To Go
Hi Everyone,
I've decided to start a blog to keep you all up to date on what I'm up to during my semester abroad. I think this is a better venue for that than the occasional mass email, though I still plan on keeping in touch with each of you directly with email, AIM, facebook, etc. That's all for now.
-Carter
I've decided to start a blog to keep you all up to date on what I'm up to during my semester abroad. I think this is a better venue for that than the occasional mass email, though I still plan on keeping in touch with each of you directly with email, AIM, facebook, etc. That's all for now.
-Carter
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