Getting into the Groove

I'm back in Africa again. This time it’s Botswana. I’ve felt more relaxed on this journey than I ever have in my previous travels. Probably because I’m accompanied by three of the most beautiful, intelligent and kind women I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet. And because the Coady International Institute spent three weeks of extensive training preparing us for every situation imaginable…almost.

Let me rewind back to how I got here. From the beginning. In March, I started panicking a little bit about what I would do upon August graduation from my MA in International Development and Global Studies. Even with my experience in Ghana, teaching at a school for the Deaf in ’07, and working as a research assistant on HIV awareness amongst Nairobi’s Deaf population for Handicap International in Kenya in ’09, it was made clear to me that getting a full-time position in a development field that interested me would be tough without some more extensive time working overseas.

I scoured the Canadian International Development Agency’s (CIDA) website for internships that suited my background and would allow me enough time to wrap up my major research paper before shipping out for a six-month placement. The only one that met that description was Coady’s fall batch of internships. I indicated a preference for two positions in Botswana, one with Botswana Council of Churches working on an HIV awareness project for young males, the other with Holy Cross Hospice, as a resource mobilizer, as I was keen to develop my fundraising skills, as I assumed this would be extremely transferable to a number of different sectors.

A few weeks later, I was selected for an interview, and within another week I knew I would be working for the Hospice. I also learned there were already four Canadian interns from the Coady working in the same Botswana placements the new interns were about to step into.

The nice thing about being selected for a Coady internship is that there’s a tremendous amount of support offered through the three-week pre-departure training on campus at St. Francis Xavier University, in Antigonish Nova Scotia. During training I made 19 fantastic new friends, who make up the other interns from across Canada, with diverse travel, volunteer, work and educational experiences, all perfectly suited for their internships in Ethiopia, Rwanda, Kenya, Botswana, Ghana, Peru and St. Vincent and the Grenadines. We did plenty of cross-cultural training, were introduced to nationals from our host countries, developed facilitation, proposal writing and budgeting skills, and interacted with Coady Leadership Diploma participants from around the world (many of whom were from Kenya and had me brushing up on my Swahili!).

After traveling independently to Africa twice, and not having much cross-cultural support pre- and post-adventure, I feel pretty confident that I won’t have any difficulty adapting to Botswana, affectionately called “Africa-lite.”

The trip here was about as good as any 40-hour journey to a foreign country can get. We departed from residence at the Coady at 2:30 am Antigonish time, and cruised to the airport in style in a limo-taxi, upholstered with burgundy velvet, trimmed with flashing disco-coloured lighting. We shared a bottle of red wine, which pretty much knocked us all out for the 2-hour drive. We got through customs without too much delay, and met the pair heading to Peru on the other side. We flew to JFK/New York in about 2 hours, and waited around in the airport for about 5 hours, eating over-priced and unappetizing sandwiches and checking facebook. The flight to Johannesburg, South Africa was about 16 hours, and despite having an extra seat next to me, I struggled to get any descent sleep, yet somehow managed to miss one of two in-flight meals. I spent the majority of the flight watching the first season of Lie to Me, and trying to keep my legs from getting stiff and swelling up.

When we arrived in Jo’berg, we realized we had a 5-hour stopover, so we took our time getting through customs, checking our emails and finding somewhere to grab lunch. Getting on the express flight to Gaborone, Botswana was the first time I allowed myself to get really excited about the trip, since the built-up anticipation from three weeks of training had led me to distance myself from any expectations and emotions about life and work in Botswana.

When we stepped off the plane, we were the only plane or passengers in the airport. All but one of our bags arrived with us. Amy was missing one duffle bag. We wheeled our stack of luggage out to the arrivals gate and were met by at least one staff member from our host organizations, along with all four of the current interns.

Mark, who also worked for Holy Cross Hospice, carried my stuff to the hospice van, and two staff members brought us to our new apartment. The short drive was much calmer than Nairobi traffic, and from the brief tour, everything seemed safe, clean and organized in Gaborone. It was bit overwhelming to talk to all the previous interns and our landlords once we arrived at the apartment, but it was really nice to have somewhere to shower and nap, before meeting up for dinner with the other interns. Dinner was really fun and informative, but more than anything I felt like I never left home. The Riverwalk mall is modern with designer clothing, hi-tech shops and a cinema. After a quick perusal of the grocery store, we realized we could buy nearly anything we wanted here, and wi-fi was free in the restaurant, so long as we order some food or drink.

First Safari... in Jo'Burg Airport

I’ve just been catching up on sleep and getting organized these past days. I already feel at home in the new flat, and I’m hoping to head over to the Hospice tomorrow, to get a tour, meet the staff and see what Mark’s been up to the past six months. I already have a lot of ideas about fundraising, which I’m hoping will be turned on their head as soon as I know exactly what the Hospice is doing now, and its plans for the future.

Roomies deep in discussion at our new place

Who needs air fresheners when you have a Jasmine (?) tree outside?