Peaceful Pathway☮

The other day, as I raked my large yard of dirt, a woman walking by paused, shifted her weight to one hip, and smiled from ear to ear.   I felt her presence on the other side of the gate, wiped the sweat from my brow, and looked up with a friendly greeting “Dumela Mma!” (At this point, I’m used to being a splendorous attraction). She shook her head and smiled even bigger.   “Kitso!” She exclaimed, her voice gaining an octave with each word, “You are working like a Motswana!”   I couldn’t help but chuckle and nod it off.   I affirmed her statement by saying, “Eeh Mma!” She continued on her journey, her face still creased into a smile.   Watering the garden (that has since died due to no water in the village) A couple days later, as I rode my newly-bought bicycle to the junior secondary school, children ran alongside me screaming with excitement.   Talk began circulating around the village that I knew how to ride a bicycle and people came to my ...

Ode to my Best Friend. Never in my life have I had a friend like you You’re always there for me when I’m feeling blue. On those days where the dust accumulates and I feel dirty You clean my feet and I watch the water turn murky. When the sweat pours off of my worried forehead And I feel like the heat is going to make me dead I know at the end of the day, you’ll be there Waiting for me to cool off, without a care. During the cold winter mornings when I can’t get out of bed You’re there to offer a warm place to rest my head. When Cleo (my dog) is covered in pap 1 You let me wash her, and never make me stop. When my clothes have been soiled and piling for days You help me to wash them and snap me out of my daze. If my sink is clogged, I know where to turn I wash in your mouth, while both of us learn. Oh, never in my life have I had a friend so true This ode is for you, my bath tub, how I love yo...

These past few weeks have been overwhelmingly busy! Currently, one of the primary school teachers has lent me his laptop.   So I sit, pensive, and write about the going-ons in my life over the past couple months. I realize it has been a while, so please bear with me and the extremely loooong post that is about to ensue… The last time I was able to post, I briefly mentioned my birthday and the wonderful surprise that the Junior Secondary Students prepared for me. What I didn’t tell you was the birthday presents I received from my magnificent family through the post and my birthday trip to the Okavango Delta. One day, as the sun splayed its viciously hot face in the sky, I sat and grumbled at the daily frustrations I face at the clinic.   The organizational system I set up for the patient files was out of order…again…patients persisted in asking that I take their vital signs or prescribe them medicine (thought they know I don’t have the authority to do so), and the head nur...

I'm so sorry it's taken me so long to update! My computer died and it has therefore been damned near impossible to get access to anyone's computer long enough to update my blog! I have so much to tell you about...from Lepokole to the Okavango Delta...but for now let me update you on what has been going on recently with a couple blog posts that i've had saved up: (I'll update as much as I can i promise from here on out)... ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------   Birthday Shenanegans... The day started like any other, with the puppy crying at 5am and the pigeons outside my window cooing to the sunrise.   I peeled open my curtains and was excited to find that it was actually cloudy outside, and a wind was howling through the cracks in my window.   I was supposed to go into the clinic at the usual time, 7:30 am, but decided, “Today is my birthday, and I can be tardy if I want to…” I pulled the cov...

I have no desire to move mountains, construct monuments, or leave behind in my wake material evidence of my existence. But in the final recollection, if the essence of my being has caused a smile to have appeared upon your face or a touch of joy within your heart…then in living–I have made my mark. ~ Thomas L. Odem, Jr. ------------------------------------------------------------- I know it has been a while since my last post, but I have so much to tell you! First of all, let me explain that I’ve been trying to save my pula and pennies to buy a ticket home for Tasha’s wedding in September.   For this reason, I’ve tried more than anything to stay in my village as much as possible. Though there isn’t too much to do in Gobojango during the lazy afternoons, I’ve been spending my time taking evening walks around the village.   To my surprise, I’ve discovered a whole new appreciation for the people in Botswana.   One afternoon, as I meandered through a dr...