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Tim
Happy 30th Birthday Grandma!!!! Hope you enjoy your day with everyone..
Yesterday our babysitter Tebogo came to watch the kids while Michelle and I attended a "Teens Club" . This is a support group for children suffering from HIV and is run by the Baylor docs here. We sang a bunch of songs and played games, grilled hot dogs and had a DJ play the latest hot tracks. This was my first experience interacting with many of the kids Michelle sees on a day to day basis. Many of the kids travelled long distances by themselves to be a part of it, and they were about 50 children that showed up. It was an eye opening experience for me, simply because of the similarities between the children here and those at home. They played, danced, joked with each other just as you would see at home. I couldn't believe they were all sick. We had small group discussions about HIV and many were very eager to talk about their situation. But some seemed extremely insecure and unwilling to discuss anything about their life. But the kids seem amazingly strong, independent and intelligent. Michelle had told me that the teen club is pivotal because the teenage years can be the time when a child will stop taking medication or hide the medication and shut down altogether. This club tries to bring them to a place where they can deal with their problems and surround themselves with others who can relate.
Sundays here are tough. As much as we have enjoyed our adventure here in Botswana, there are days when you simply miss everything about home...(friends, family, your kids friends, sidewalks, grass, and college football.) Being a foreigner here is a lonely experience. There aren't any outlets for the kids, all homes are walled off with barbwire and electric fences, you can't even see what your neighbors look like. I don't know if the kids feel it as much as us, but it's a rough day. We kind of sit around looking at each other wondering what to do . But, we've got a circus to see and a some nice weather .
A side note... Here's a photo of our first friend in Botswana.. His name is Tim.. He's been our cab driver for the past month and has helped us tremendously. He helped us go grocery shopping for the first time, negotiated a price for a mattress with me and has picked us up whenever we call him. He has an amazing story as well. Tim is originally from Uganda where he was a child soldier in the army. I won't go into more detail but he's been through alot. The funny thing about this picture was that it was taken in front of our home, right after he drove me and the twins to a local playground to meet a bunch of moms and their twins!!! A twins group in Botswana, never would have thought I'd see that. Anyway, I asked if I could take his picture. We were laughing and playing with the kids and as soon as I prepared to take his photo he got very serious and his demeanor changed completely. He posed very stoically and his smile was gone. I didn't ask, just found it really interesting.
Hope all is well at home...
