The City

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8/11/19
Many people have been asking what I’ve been doing while in Botswana and the further away I get from the start of my training the more difficult it is to answer that question. On the one hand I could just say. A LOT. In my mind that pretty much sums up the 2 weeks I’ve been here, but for the folks back home that’s about as helpful as setting up a mosquito net without any hangers (a story for another time).

To try and understand the complexity of my brief time in the Peace Corps and the culture of Botswana, I want you to picture a city. If you picture Seattle you might think about the Sea Hawks, the Mariners, Pike Place Market and a thriving hipster community that doesn’t want any recognition. For me those are the superficial things you might see on the surface of a city. Go further now. Imagine memorizing every city street, corner and coffee shop in Seattle. Go even further. How do the people talk? How do they walk? What do people say to each other when they see a friend on the street or a homeless man walking past? Now memorize that all and tell your friend who’s never been to Seattle what Seattle is like. This level of detail is like trying to describe what I’ve been doing here in Botswana the past two weeks. It’s A LOT and I love it all, but that’s culture. Understanding the culture of a country, city and the people is no easy task and It requires patience, acceptance and learning how to bathe with nothing more than cold water and a bucket. So, if we chat or communicate in any way and I sound incredibly vague there’s a reason for it. Nothing I say would make sense without the context of being here in Botswana. It took Peace Corps four days alone before they let us even leave the compound where we were staying.

That all being said I can try to give you the basics. The culture here is rich and I couldn’t be happier where I’m at. I’m currently living with my two host moms and my dad in a small home in a city called Kanye. Everyday is either 4hrs of Setswana training or 8hrs of seminars given by the Peace Corps. The information ranges from how to not insult an elder to how to not s*** your pants while traveling and I’ll let you decide which is more important.

For now, I’ll end this post here. I’m loving every minute of living in this country and I really feel like I have a purpose being here. Thank you for all the kind words sent to me over the past few weeks and the prayers are being felt. Love you all!
-Ben Dulaney
Side note: The informational side of the podcast has taken a bit of a backseat with how hectic everything has been lately. Once I get to site I’ll be able to really sit down and work on making the episodes comprehensive to give people a better understanding of what the Peace Corps is like. Till then it’s going to be a lot of stories and experiences when I get around to it.

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