Assumptions

In Setswana class today, we learned how to say: “I don’t have money. I am a volunteer with Peace Corps.”  (Ga ke na madi. Ke moithaopi wa Peace Corps.)  There’s still an assumption in some villages that white people are always rich.

Once the news of my upcoming service spread around little Rangeley like whispers set aflame on dry grasses, more people than I could count expressed the same sentiments: “You’re going to be so hot all year long!”  “All you need to pack are shorts and T-shirts.”

Africa is the second largest continent in the world.  Think about someone telling you that because you live in the United States you’re going to be wet, cold, or sweltering the entire year.  Silly, right??  Botswana straddles the Tropic of Capricorn.  No doubt we will have months of high heat. But, right now in winter we are experiencing nights that dip down into the 30’s and comfortable sunny days in the 60’s-70’s.

Those shorts and T-shirts will come out of their dark cavernous hibernation during off hours in warm months, but the Batswana (the people of Botswana) are a conservative bunch. While teaching school men are expected to wear a dress shirt and tie; women, a knee length or longer skirt/dress.

In two days, our crew moves from the largest city in Botswana (pop 300,000) to the town of Kanye (pop 45,000) for 10 weeks of language and culture while embedded with a local family.

Assumptions can get in the way of truth.  We humans like to fill in the gaps in our knowledge to make sense of this complex world, but I’m going to give it my all to stay open minded with my host family. They are generously opening their home to me and treating me like a sister/mother/auntie, so I owe it to them to keep an open mind and let those gaps be filled organically with truth grown from mutual understanding.