tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-40622030496155600622012-01-07T10:01:32.388-06:00Sarah Elsewherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03293530623113187251noreply@blogger.comBlogger281100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062203049615560062.post-67870768343028640022012-01-07T09:48:00.002-06:002012-01-07T09:59:02.597-06:00

I sleep with books now. Several months, or possibly years, ago a friend complained to me about a poor night's sleep. "A stack of books tipped over on me in the middle of the night." I didn't understand. I thought she was crazy. I suppose I'm crazy now too.I am almost, but not quite, the person I wanted to be. Almost satisfied with nearly every aspect of my life. It is equilibrium and I am content

Sarah Elsewherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03293530623113187251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062203049615560062.post-56509732633206427272010-07-01T22:10:00.004-05:002010-07-01T23:42:50.925-05:00

This is the third summer that my sister has worked at the Santa Fe Opera. Last August I was able to scrape up enough money to go out for a weekend visit. I love getting to see the plays and alley way experiences she works on, but to go to a real opera! That was a childhood dream come true. I'm no opera snob, and I'm more likely to recognize a piece if it was used in a cartoon than anything else.

Sarah Elsewherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03293530623113187251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062203049615560062.post-79543760997995701912010-05-22T02:07:00.002-05:002010-05-22T02:30:07.433-05:00

I was recently encouraged to think about my favorite poem, and was horrified to find I couldn't quite remember any of it clearly. Nor could I remember more than the barest pieces of my second favorite, at which point I am left with fragments from French poets, but never enough of anything to make a whole.I don't mind so much when I'm asked to try poking a chemistry equation, finding the solution

Sarah Elsewherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03293530623113187251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062203049615560062.post-16891155209278485172009-05-09T16:02:00.001-05:002009-05-09T16:02:01.098-05:00

Jessica and joe are married!--==================================================================This mobile text message is brought to you by AT&T

Sarah Elsewherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03293530623113187251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062203049615560062.post-90221632202748573062009-04-20T01:57:00.002-05:002009-04-20T05:18:17.630-05:00

Dave and I have returned from our trip healthy, whole, and energized, which is good because we are jumping right back into the library world here in Botswana. It really felt like coming home to be back in Kopong, and I know that I will really miss everyone, especially my family.I am planning to do a proper report on the vacation, probably in the form of a short entry for each country visited. I

Sarah Elsewherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03293530623113187251noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062203049615560062.post-444598467648820682009-04-05T04:12:00.002-05:002009-04-20T05:18:17.630-05:00

This will be a fast post as I've used half my ten minutes of internet already.Dave and I quickly abandoned our original vacation itinerary after arriving in Joburg. We couldn't get into Maputo without tons of hassle, so we said "Eh, let's rent a car."We drove down to the Drakensburgs, and spent a day hiking in Lesotho. Now we are in St Lucia on the Indian Ocean. We've seen impala, kudu, hippos

Sarah Elsewherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03293530623113187251noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062203049615560062.post-88070993522329366572009-03-30T08:36:00.002-05:002009-04-20T05:17:57.681-05:00

This is my second post today. The first post is somewhat more light-hearted.I'm still not quite sure I want to post this, while the events of the past week have unquestionably coloured my time here in Botswana, I don't want them to define my experience for myself or anyone else. I also do not mean to embarrass or harm any of the people I know here, but I can't see this story as complete without

Sarah Elsewherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03293530623113187251noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062203049615560062.post-71014056200698781922009-03-29T05:52:00.004-05:002009-04-20T05:17:57.681-05:00

The pale blue plastic bracelet on my left wrist pronounces to the world, "zebras4life" and "ke itse seemo sa me" or "I know my status." This is the badge of honor for undergoing an HIV test.Here in Botswana March is the Month of Youth Against AIDS. HIV/AIDS is a real concern, and the primary focus of most Peace Corps work. Once I asked a local friend, "How many funerals are there every week?"

Sarah Elsewherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03293530623113187251noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062203049615560062.post-12676764675814404242009-03-26T04:14:00.004-05:002009-04-20T05:18:17.631-05:00

I purchased two hours of internet today. I've already blown through one hour of internet. I suspect that even a "fast" connection is slow by Western standards, but I can't quite remember. I continue to debate the wisdom of submiting job applications when I am largely disconnected from the world. I'd love to hear how things are going for all the second years back home; is the market crazy

Sarah Elsewherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03293530623113187251noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062203049615560062.post-36133496250859448012009-03-17T10:27:00.004-05:002009-03-17T11:02:49.189-05:00

By trying to demonstrate how busy my life can be, I managed to give myself yet another task to try and fit into an often overcrowded day. What I'm trying to say is, I'm abandoning my plan to fully blog an entire week. Instead I will do a week's worth of full day posts, as time allows. Today I'll try and do a little catch-up, in list form:Last week I started work on a user survey that doubles

Sarah Elsewherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03293530623113187251noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062203049615560062.post-11839063939537882332009-03-11T03:17:00.000-05:002009-04-20T05:17:57.682-05:00

Tuesday morning, I had a shower. A real shower. With hot water and everything. Breakfast included juice and chai and omlettes. If there had been a hot dog and a chapati, I would've felt five years younger. There was BBC news and CNN. As Dave said, it was like a small vacation. A vacation where you wear the same clothes as yesterday, but a vacation nonetheless.Around 8:30, Prof Mnjama picked

Sarah Elsewherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03293530623113187251noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062203049615560062.post-44898470718339765892009-03-10T10:20:00.001-05:002009-04-20T05:17:57.683-05:00

This is the first in a series of posts detailing one week of my time here in Botswana. By posting something closer to what I write in my paper journal, I hope not to bore you with the mind numbing details of my day-to-day life, but to give you a more comprehensive picture of the challenges and successes.I overslept, in part because more people in the house means more people bathing in the morning

Sarah Elsewherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03293530623113187251noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062203049615560062.post-64048642927684391492009-03-09T03:12:00.000-05:002009-04-20T05:17:57.683-05:00

I don't have the notebook with my seven page (give or take) blog post detailing one week of my life here in Botswana. This is my second attempt at an off the top of my head post. The first one was lost when the connection conked out again this morning before the file was saved. The only thing I am consistently successful at is uploading photos to flickr because I can set it up to do that and

Sarah Elsewherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03293530623113187251noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062203049615560062.post-16831202825288971242009-03-06T03:07:00.001-06:002009-03-07T03:19:26.836-06:00

On Thursday I had a sick day (runny stomach, as they say). Dave, Lucia, and Kabo all went on a trip to Molepolole to see Max and do library things. I'm not sure if I would've been in Molepolole or if I would've been here for computer training. Either way, I was at home feeling sad that our water had been off since Wednesday. We have a lovely pit toilet, never fear.I'm rambling. The point of

Sarah Elsewherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03293530623113187251noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062203049615560062.post-59499996957564619662009-02-27T04:22:00.002-06:002009-02-27T04:25:10.294-06:00

This is the third post I've uploaded today, so you should use the navigation features on the right hand menu to see those other posts.You should also take a look at my Flickr page (link again found to the right) because I've managed to upload a few pictures.

Sarah Elsewherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03293530623113187251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062203049615560062.post-32037094934414156102009-02-27T04:19:00.001-06:002009-02-27T04:22:32.922-06:00

I realize that I haven't made enough of an effort to elaborate on my work in the library. Partly because I didn't quite know what was going on the first few weeks, partly because the cultural aspects are more generally entertaining, and partly because there's a worry of stepping on people's toes. The result though is that you are getting a partial picture of my life here, and the part you are

Sarah Elsewherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03293530623113187251noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062203049615560062.post-6565769667565959922009-02-27T03:59:00.000-06:002009-02-27T04:05:29.721-06:00

One of the first things I asked my family was, "What's that noise?" I'm willing to bet that most of the people reading this haven't spent much time, if any, in a home with a metal roof. As it happens, my room in Tanzania was part of an addition with a metal roof, though it was separated with a ceiling of plaster or plywood or whatever it is you make a ceiling from. I've been told that a

Sarah Elsewherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03293530623113187251noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062203049615560062.post-90932252358628376142009-02-20T07:08:00.002-06:002009-02-20T07:32:53.190-06:00

This si the third draft of this entry which I've started on paper and then abandoned because it became horribly out of date before I* could post it. Everyday we are promised that the technician will come to connect internet tomorrow. I fear that by the time internet arrives, I will be up to my ears in activity and not have the time to post! We've scheduled adult computer training one-on-one

Sarah Elsewherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03293530623113187251noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062203049615560062.post-66637230656311898602009-02-11T05:02:00.015-06:002009-02-11T05:31:02.561-06:00

Plans make me nervous because so often our expectations fail to match the reality. This is simply a part of life, to have the unexpected happen is normal, and good or bad, we must be prepared to adapt and take advantage of our changing circumstances.The title of this entry, "Ga go na mathata", is a Setswana phrase that translates as "no problems". This is similar to the Kiswahili "hakuna matata"

Sarah Elsewherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03293530623113187251noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062203049615560062.post-13297354053353066012009-02-07T04:41:00.004-06:002009-02-07T05:11:48.325-06:00

I have squandered most of my hour of purchased internet, so this might cut off rather abruptly. However, I am now confident in my ability to find and purchase computer time, and steps are underway to arrange computer access through BNLS if the connection problem in Kopong is too severe. Honestly, life without the constant internet connection can be nice.I haven't been able to keep up with

Sarah Elsewherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03293530623113187251noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062203049615560062.post-52287702176017412512009-02-05T09:42:00.000-06:002009-02-05T09:50:13.409-06:00

The long plane journey from Chicago was just that, long, but I have arrived safely and been embraced into the home of my host family. The past week has been a whirlwind tour of introductions, orientations, speakers, attempts to learn Setswana, and adjusting to the lovely weather. Okay it is not so hard to adjust to seventy degree weather that is humid only when it is going to rain. It does

Sarah Elsewherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03293530623113187251noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062203049615560062.post-4635978324056375812009-01-27T14:03:00.007-06:002009-01-28T00:04:25.810-06:00

Earlier this afternoon I accidentally posted a partial packing list, a list I was constructing primarily to see if I was forgetting anything. I didn't plan to share my entire list of medications, but at least I refrained from detailing my undergarments!I'll be leaving for the airport tomorrow at one pm, and shutting off my cell phone for the journey before that. When I arrive on Friday (seven

Sarah Elsewherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03293530623113187251noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062203049615560062.post-50686302904192286872009-01-25T05:34:00.005-06:002009-01-25T05:55:00.651-06:00

I'm willing to bet you've never heard of the Comoros. I hadn't until a friend in Tanzania told me he'd purchased airfare and would be going for our spring break. I had no plans and it's a francophone country, so I decided to go too. You might say that I'm impulsive.We arrived in Moroni impossibly unprepared, despite the slim section we'd memorized from a guidebook on Madagascar. The visa

Sarah Elsewherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03293530623113187251noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062203049615560062.post-45809976669780399842009-01-25T04:01:00.000-06:002009-01-25T04:03:15.811-06:00

Five years ago I was someone else. '03-'04 was my junior year of college, the traditional year for a semester abroad. After careful consideration, lengthy discussion, and minimal research (to my current eyes), I decided to spend the spring semester in Tanzania.MikumiUnless you count a family trip to Niagara Falls, I'd never left the country before. I had no idea what I was getting into, and for

Sarah Elsewherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03293530623113187251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062203049615560062.post-35506779776197859922008-12-24T16:10:00.007-06:002009-01-08T21:54:19.254-06:00

The path to Botswana has taught me that I can be aggressive without alienating. Some of the best things in life require taking a risk and chancing failure or rejection. It is because I was willing to contact the director of the library school to say I was interested, in what was then just the vaguest of possibilities, that I am going. The months have also included a fair amount of waiting and

Sarah Elsewherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03293530623113187251noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062203049615560062.post-32893103139444652382008-12-22T16:41:00.004-06:002008-12-24T15:27:23.395-06:00

Wait, where exactly is it that you're going?Botswana! A very stable country in southern Africa, neighboring South Africa, Namibia, and Zimbabwe. More specifically I'll be in a town near the capital, Gaborone (the g sounds like an h). I don't know exactly which town I'll be in yet.That is beyond awesome! But where will you be living?A home stay with a local family is being arranged, but for the

Sarah Elsewherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03293530623113187251noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062203049615560062.post-13425023502973903752008-12-18T13:55:00.001-06:002008-12-18T13:58:00.525-06:00

I'll be in Botswana for spring semester, 2009!

Sarah Elsewherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03293530623113187251noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4062203049615560062.post-27982331558307861132008-11-26T16:28:00.002-06:002008-12-21T13:48:36.482-06:00

Sarah Elsewherehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03293530623113187251noreply@blogger.com4