3 Quick Experiences with Racial Diversity

There are daily experiences which bring to light the impressions that black and white people have of each other. Having had three experiences within the past two hours, I am putting off cooking dinner (no small sacrifice) in order to give my impressions of them.

The most recent occurred outside my hut only 3 minutes ago. I approached three men who I speak and have a laugh with daily. One showed me a picture and said ‘Do you know me when you see me?’ It was a picture of his good friend who was standing there with us; he was wearing a great 70s style dress shirt. I recognized quickly who the picture was of and complimented the shirt, which was awesome. The first man quickly re-checked that I knew who the photo is of.

It is a small event but I believe it represents a belief I have read about and experienced that white people have great difficulty and may even be unable to tell black people apart. I am lucky I took the time to look at the face in the photo or I may have fallen prey to this small joke. There was no malice, this man was simply playing out this conception.

2 minutes before that, speaking to another friend. (Notice that I know few names well, they are harder to pronounce and learn. I know many people casually). I told him how I like to compare the Botswana/South Africa dynamic to Canada/US. I think there are many parallels with population, cultural influence, international recognition and the friendly, friendly people. His addition was that Batswana are nicer to white people. It was candid and this sort of dialogue occurs often and is open. I am getting used to it such that I feel little remorse writing openly about it. How this may be received in Canada I am not stopping a good rant to censor.

His point about Botswana/South Africa relates to an experience just 2 hours before.
The conversation was with a white South African who I had a beer with. He spoke of ‘coloured’ people, the laziness of his staff and other troubles with the country. I can’t say he was racist, though his demeanor on some subjects was a bit off putting. I don’t know the dialogue, tone or language South Africans normally use and can’t tell if he was out of the ordinary. It is another perspective in a very different situation than I am use to.

I have very little to conclude, only a great deal to observe and experience. Probably the best way to travel.

Interesting fact: The Botswana flag, blue, black and white. Is meant to represent the sky above, racial harmony in the country and the importance of water below.

First Day Off

I had my first day off after 9 days of tiring work. One day was enough time off only because it was an overload of experience. University students know a similar feeling, sometimes it’s a blessing when the weekend is over.

The difference is my perilous day off didn’t leave me tired due to drinking (well, just a bit). Also my day wasn’t really perilous, it only felt that way.

To get to Gabs from Mokolodi, there were several combi (small vans) and shared taxi trips to take. I had a package on my shoulder and a blind spot the size of a rhino. At 6 pm on a Friday, this meant maneuvering through a sea of African people. The looks I received were confused and entertained by me and my load.

That night we went for dinner and out to a club. It was a very, very intimidating experience in a way I forgot night life could be. We were with three local guys, it was me and 3 Canadian girls. There were many more people drinking and staying in the parking lot then ever went into the packed club. I was surprised by my very low level of comfort. Only more alcohol brought complacency with which to enjoy the night.

The next day Kaleigh (a WUSC volunteer) and I woke up early enough to go to Botswana’s biggest village Macudi. We went on a large bus for a 1 hour trip, costing 8 pula ($1.30 CDN). We visited friends of ours for a small hike, this is where the picture is from. The reaction to us in the village was strong. Many people approached and made us feel noticed from top to bottom. I was offered shake-shake (locally made alcohol) and setswana lessons from different groups of guys. There was a peace corps volunteer, Leslie, who has lived in this village for 18 months. She seemed a bit lonely and burned out as all novelty of being there was gone.

There were two times I felt fear on my day off. The first was at the night club, due purely to the whole experience and not any single event. The second was on the combi driving sporadically back. It is a feeling I now realize I haven’t felt in a while.

My fear was not irrational but my time off wasn’t perilous. All I did was have a night out and use public transport to visit another village.

The Day After Obama

I have come to write this mainly to get out of the sun. I have been digging out space for a stream all day and I am exhausted. It’s 2 o’clock and this really is the worst time to work. I’m not quite dehydrated but I must be low on electrolytes as my shirt and shorts contain a pound of my salt each. In the evenings, besides dinner, I really look forward to sleep. I force myself to stay awake past 8.

Last night, this was accomplished in part by watching the Obama inauguration speech which was on the Gaborone television station at 7. People are extremely positive about him here. I was reminded about the speech when a staff walked into the office with raised hands and remarked ‘Obama tonight!’ to which everyone agreed they were excited. I watched the speech in a common area. One girl, after inquiring at length about the insanity of living in the cold, commented that Obama wasn’t black. Black was her color and the color of the guy beside her. The guy tried to protest and said she was embarrassing him.

The Batswanan responses to the speech have been void of any criticism. He was spectacular, very impressive or a genius. The least enthusiastic response was from a Kenyan who stated simply that he knew Obama was an excellent speaker. I agree with him, and while there was imagery and diction in the speech, it did not feel historic in the way of the election night speech.

I fed cheetahs and hyenas today. They live in enclosures. The experience of entering with dead chickens must be like throwing fish in the water before a shark swim. You’re enough bait by yourself, let’s not aggravate anything.

To Integrate or Stay Solo

I make one main lifestyle choice each day. I live directly beside a building which is “volunteer’s accommodation”. But I am the only volunteer and do not live there. The accommodation is filled, no packed, with Batswanan park workers and Zimbabwean builders. It is noisy and a bit busy all morning and night.

I have my own wooden hut with a metal roof and therefore can control my privacy. The lifestyle choice I make is whether to spend my time off alone in the hut or go to the common room. Most people have been friendly so far, the level of English varies greatly. (My only setswana is greetings).

I only really go to the other building when I need to wash or use the washroom; never to watch the TV or simply hang around. It becomes a matter of comfort; not just of my own as I am entering the area where these people live.

The kitchen is full of dirty dishes, strong smells and flies. For this reason and my own comfort I bought a hot plate, frying pan, pot and some cleaning supplies (~$40 CDN or 300 pula). It leads to further separation but it's a big relief to my everyday life. Money can provide comforts. I can cook simple meals while watching my laptop. I’m spoiled right? It must seem that way.

This is what I have done to settle in. I still have plenty of social interaction in my day however I’m the only one spends his lunch tucked away writing a blog.

P.S. There is a horse at the education center that I can not get rid off. He’s wise to my yelling and clapping and inability to move him. He clearly thinks our communal area is his stable. It probably doesn’t help that when he poops I clean it up.

Long Road to Botswana

It has taken too long to write this second entry. It has not taken too much time; I only left Canada 6 days ago. Too many events, foreign and unexpected, have occurred that I can recount them all. Bits and pieces will have to do.

I got into my first car accident on the way to the aiport. It wasn’t my fault I swear. It was a very Canadian crash. One guys plow slide on snow, 36 apologies were made and it was all smiles and handshakes when we left. With all the travel concerns, the most danger came 30 m from home.

All I’ll say about the travel to Botswana is that is you do talk to many more people when flying solo. Johannesburg sounds scary to live in.

The city of Gaborone is much more developed than I would have thought. Also the average white person is likely a volunteer. Batswanan reaction to us is entertaining. There is consistent staring and sometimes pointing occurring. People are very friendly though. Part of it can be attributed to a token white guy syndrome.

Mokolodi has a beautiful location. It is located in the valley of several mountains (by name) including Magic Mountain, which I will hike soon. As part of the integration, there was a game drive, on which we saw impala, warthog, zebra, giraffe, ostrich and many birds which were surprisingly interesting.

Over preparation / Intercultural effectiveness

With less than 24 hours before departure my packing is done, many goodbyes have already been said and I'm ready to head to Gaborone. The travel will take 40 hours and I'll be in Gaborone for 4 days before arriving at Mokolodi.

Earlier this week, I met Tammy Babcock over a beer. She is making a huge individual effort build a tank for water distribution in Cite Soleil, Haiti. (http://www.helptammyhelphaiti.com). She is driven, persistent and brave. I hope she is safe and productive in her upcoming trips. The best of luck with her adopted daughter and their eventual arrival to Canada.

My plan of hibernating in Canada went out the window when I went lake kite-skiing with Jesse and Don Stinson. You are harnessed in directly to the a huge kite and man does the wind pull. For anyone who has tried the 3m trainer kite, imagine a 12m kite pulling you down a frozen (?) lake. It was great to take in some Canadian nature, remember that winter is more than repressive snowbanks and cold wind.

I completed a course on intercultural effectiveness as part of the Students without Borders program. “An inter-culturally effective person lives contentedly and works successfully in another culture.” Sounds simple enough. No big deal ;)

My packing has been so extensive I feel over-prepared. It can be seen in the bulky, pricey and complete first aid kit packed in my luggage. With $300 worth of gauze and medication and anti-any-organism gels and creams, the first aid kit is suffocating my checked bag. For entertainment, around a dozen books and 150 Gb of shows and movies. Yep, lot of prep time.

Despite all preparation all I know is that life is going to be very different for the next few months. If anyone would like to get a hold of me, comment here or:
davecasson@gmail.com
Skype: dcasson85

Mokolodi Nature Reserve
Private Bag 0457
Gaborone, Botswana