After the first two weeks of Peace Corps training some of the volunteers stayed (or came back) for STEPS training. STEPS is a South African based video collection that teaches about many social issues around HIV. The video collection consists of about 40 videos that were filmed all over southern Africa. They range from documentary style films to scripted dramas. The training helped us to gain the skills they deem necessary to facilitate a conversation that will hopefully invoke thoughtful conversation and eventually some type of behavior change. I really enjoyed the STEPS training and I'm excited to do screenings in our village/district.

Unfortunately my birthday was during IST which meant that Amanda and I were apart. But It was nice to spend it with my other volunteer friends. I was sick for a few days on either side of my birthday so it was rather uneventful (and strangely Amanda was also sick for 10 days of her IST as well). The following Sunday however a group of volunteers decided to go to a game reserve just outside of town. Botswana has an abundance of both private and public game reserves. However, what makes this specific one unique is that they not only offer the typical game drive but also have two tamed cheetahs! The cheetahs were saved as kittens after they were abandoned near the village of Ghanzi. The two brothers have lived at the reserve for the last 14 years. Some of our group decided to go on a game drive and pet the cheetahs and the rest of the group decided to forgo the game drive and just pet the cats. I went for the full package as a birthday present to myself. The game drive was a fun experience but somewhat unsuccessful because it was close to midday. We saw lots of impala, some kudu, ostrich, baboons, warthogs and hippos. Absolutely the highlight of my trip to the park was getting to pet the cheetahs. They live in a relatively large enclosure within the main reserve. Entering the enclosure through the double gates felt a bit like Jurassic Park even though I knew that inside was not a dangerous dinosaur but an oversized house cat. As we made a tight turn on the narrow dirt road, a friendly feline was laying right in front of us sleeping in the shade of an acacia. We all hopped out of the Land Cruiser and followed the guide over to the cat. He bent down to rub the cat's head and you could instantly hear it purr. Each of us took turns petting him. We then walked down the road to where his brother was sleeping. His brother, Duma, is darker and a little bigger. As we were petting Duma the other cheetah must have got jealous at that point because he got up from his resting shade and came to join us with Duma. It was an amazing experience to be so close to a big wild cat. I will post videos soon.

When I joined Peace Corps I imagined many ways that volunteers would travel through their country of service: bus, train, car, horse, donkey cart. I never imagined that as a Peace Corps volunteer I would be traveling by airplane. When we travel for official reasons the Peace Corps office will reimburse us for the travel. This usually comes in the form of reimbursement for bus fare or even an overnight in a hotel for the volunteers who cannot make it from the event to their site in one day. For Botswana, this is all of the volunteers in the Okavango Delta panhandle. The Peace Corps will now reimbursed us for flying because the cost of flying and getting to site in the same day is cheaper than taking the bus and having to stay overnight. Amanda and I both took flights from Gaborone to Maun to allow us to get home in one day. It was a wonderfully comfortable, one-and-a-half hour flight that included a delicious breakfast! We are both VERY excited that we will never have to make the 2 days bus trip down to Gabs again!

When I returned to Gumare I was happy to find that many of the trees in town were in bloom. The acacia have thousands of small round yellow balls. Another tree in bloom seems to be a full size tree version of a lilac; it really reminds us of home. I was also excited to see that I had some birthday cards that sing to me! Thanks family, grandma and the Williamsons!

As I write this blog there is a looming strike for government employees. This includes all health workers, teachers, public service workers and administrators (basically, everyone). I sat through a meeting Friday morning with the District Health Team, of which half of the meeting was dedicated to deciding just how public health facilities go on strike. We will keep updating on how the strike goes. As far as I know, it is a strike over salaries and has happened before, peacefully.

This week I read the BAIS III. The Botswana AIDS Impact Survey III is a comprehensive analysis of the HIV/AIDS situation of the country. I have skimmed the 350+ page document before but this time I actually set down to read it. If you are at all interested in HIV, public health, or statistics the BAIS is an amazing study. It uses blood sampling and questionnaires in a census type analysis. I will do a whole blog post with statistics for the country and our district/village at another time.

(Amanda: ) Yesterday we were invited to our first party in Gumare! It was an anniversary dinner party for Mandate and his wife OB. Mandate is the only other white person in Gumare (Dutch) and has been married to a very kind Motswana woman for 7 years now. Entering their plot (a family compound) was like stepping into a magazine story about how to throw the perfect outdoor African dinner party. Having the 'western' influence in their home meant that their place was build for beauty and comfort, not just utility like other plots in our village. The entire place was clean and beautiful. They had a traditional rondaval, a small modern cinderblock house and a new, large modern house. OB has lived on this plot for a very long time so it was interesting to see how she has been able to graduate herself from the most meager of homes to a modern house, including electricity and satellite tv. Their yard was groomed and included a beautiful variety of trees, vines, green plants and flowers. Beautiful brightly colored prints of fabric from around Africa floated in the breeze from the porch rafter. In the center of the yard stood a gazebo-style open rondeval, wired for music and lights, decorated with flowers, plants and a table set for 10. We were greeted by OB, whom we actually had not met before. She was probably the most kind, warm and inviting woman we have met so far! We spent the night in the cool breeze, drinking wine, eating great food (and it was even Setswana food!), laughing with new friends and dancing. Some of the best fun of the night involved the 11 neighborhood kids who came over to blow up balloons and dance for us right when the first notes of music started. This party came at the most opportune time for us and served as a much-needed break from the hot, mundane activities of keeping our house in order! Overall, we both agree it was the most fun we have had since living here. And we are happy to now be friends with the Butcher, the Baker and the chicken farm chicken seller!