HIV Jeopardy and Pool Day Fun

The Alex Trebek of Botswana...the host of our HIV Jeopardy Game It was really enlightening to see which questions the students got wrong- and which ones they got right.

Having fun with friends at a pool day at a local private school.

Beautiful and refreshing pool!

Two adorable girls- the daugthers of the school owners

Youth Against AIDS Day

Girls putting on a dance show at the YAA Event. Students trying to shade themselves from the sun. By using school jackets. Can't imagine how hot they were!

Youth Against AIDS: My Youth, My Health, My Responsibility. Stop AIDS. Keep the Promise. This was the national theme of the month.

Students from a club at school singing a song about using condoms- and holding up condoms to the delight of the students in the audience.

My girls doing a drama about a girl having sex for money and getting HIV. I am so proud of them for doing this!

Swimming and Netball Fun

A fellow volunteer teaching a Motswana boy to swim. Thank god for floaties.

Swim lessons!

The exciting sport of Netball...

At least this boy thinks it's fun!

I have to admit, playing netball is much more fun than watching. And I'm better at it than basketball because you don't have to dribble!

Service Learning Field Trip

Every Monday I take a bus to the capital to work with a club of 5th graders (although we call them Standard 5). The club focuses on service learning and volunteering. Last week, I took the students to a center for disabled children. At the center, my kids played with the children, put their handprints on the wall to show they had been there and learned about autism and other disabilities. One of my students playing catch with a young autistic boy.

A girl with down's syndrome teaching my student how to put her handprint on the wall

Dinaletsana means 'little stars' in Setswana

Summer 2011 (otherwise known and January and February)

My favourite little friend Bernadette playing with playdoh. In Setswana, you pronounce everything in a word, so her name is said "Ber-na-de-teh". So I'm sure when I say her name the way we say it in America, she thinks I don't know her name at all.

My friend Thabo playing with my homemade playdoh. I can't believe how easy it is to make, and how much money we waste buying it for American kids!

The four student teachers at my school. I promised them an 'American' lunch before they finished their assignment. I served egg salad sandwiches, cheetos (Botswana cheetos, of course) and carrot sticks. They ate everything, so either they liked the food or they were just really hungry.

Some students showing off their letter from my cousin Jenn's class in America. Some of the kids are trying to look super cool and pose like models, others can't help but smile. They were so happy to get the letters!!

A class showing off their American pen pal letters

My second Botswana wedding...

The beautiful bride and groom and their flower girls. Not many people went to the actual wedding ceremony (or at least I don't think they did...I was stuck cooking all morning anyways so I wouldn't exactly know) but many, many people came to the reception to eat. You don't need invitation here, so no one knows exactly how many people are going to show up!

My friend Kitso and I, wearing our strange polo shirts to act as ushers in the wedding. I actually had to pay for this shirt...so in essence I paid to work for 12 hours at this wedding...

Notice the red carpet laid out over the dirt.

Starting the fires in the morning...and keep them going all day long.

Sadly, I didn't get the taste these delicious looking cow legs. Darn.