1 more month of blogging, Maura's B-day! and Soweto

Today is Halloween here in Botswana, and there's no trick or treating..
But it is Maura's B-day and I am heading to her school to dish out some cupcakes in an hour or so..
She turns 4 and seems very, very excited. In honor of her birthday I thought I'd pull out 2 classic Maura videos for your viewing pleasure.. Now you may suspect some bias here, considering I did nothing for Jacob. Keep in mind Jacob just turned 13 and refused any birthday endorsements. No photos, no nothing..
Maura can't log onto our blogsite yet, so she can't do anything about it..





Sorry, I am too lazy to make up another video... I had alot of time on my hands last October, probably was a little more depressed about being here then as well.. So I made alot more creative things back then to take my mind off of it.

Enjoy!! THings have really settled down here and we are in the home stretch.
We are trying to just simply enjoy our days here and are taking full advantage of our pool. It is "Africa" hot here... and there is no relief in sight. I am sweating through my shirt while typing on the computer.
THis will probably be the last post until sunday evening...Michelle and i head to Johannesburg, South Africa to run the Soweto marathon.. We leave early tomorrow morning and will be back Sunday evening.. I hope to God it is not this hot in South Africa..

Be back on Sunday. Happy Birthday Maura!!!!

last big trip now set,

As the heat picks up each day, it's a good thing that the marathon is this weekend. It is getting too hot to run and very uncomfortable to anything after 8 am.. But the evenings are still nice. We have just found out that Michelle will be teaching a class in Kasane in 2 weeks..therefore, we will be heading up north to Chobe one more time, with the hopes of seeing Victoria Falls, lions, wild dogs and leopards before we come back to the U.S.

Headed back out to the orphanage yesterday, and I have to admit, it was tough.. The kids seem very happy, but I just can't seem to shake feelings of sadness for the kids.. Everytime i go there, they are all huddled around each other in the middle of a sandy field, staying cool under a tree. Every day.They have lost their families and seems to really rely on each other. THey look after one another, are respectful to each other and genuinely care for each other..

I think having 5 healthy little ones whose major concern is whether or not Dad cleaned the pool makes me feel very sad.. these children have nothing, and some are sick. I know the pictures they take is something they really look forward to , but what are they going to do when this is over? i just hope they have some sense of normalcy in their life..

ok, i think that's it... Nothing else to say... I'll try to be funny tomorrow..Sorry blog post was such a downer.

Figuring out what to do... twins sing High School Musical

With a few weeks left, we have one more opportunity to do something.... It all depends on Michelle's work.. We were supposed to go to Chobe for a conference, but it may be cancelled... So now we are left with nothing... But we are going to do something, regardles.. We have yet to go to the major tourist destination besides Chobe... The Okavango Delta.. We may head there.. But have heard stories about the wildlife being so abundant and your proximity so close.. that people have had their children snatched right out of their tents by hyenas and the like.. Needless to say, that doesn't sit well with us...

But if you stay in a lodge, it's a different story...

The long weekend is over and the kids are back in school. This is the last week before Michelle and I head out run the Soweto marathon in Johannesburg on Sunday...
Looking forward to being finished with the training and excited about running through such an historic place...

Ok, here's a new audio clip for you.... As High School Musical 3 hits Southern Africa this friday, I thought I'd entertain you with the twins rendition of "I gotta go my own way." It's heartfelt, honest and beautiful. Enjoy

saturday...swim day.. jacob takes up tennis and barack obama t-shirts

Jacob had a nice evening of hanging out with his 2 buddies... Then this morning, had tennis lessons nearby at a tennis club.. He really enjoyed and would like to continue.. Just another thing to drop some cash on. We treated him to Nando's, which is actually a nice fast food chain here, that specializes in grilled chicken..
When we went to pick it up at the Mall, there was a bunch of young high school aged girls walking around with Barack Obama t-shirts on... I commented to them about their shirts, they asked if I wanted to buy one... They said they were sellng the shirts to raise money for a class trip.. I thought that was hilarious.. In Botswana.... people are raising money for their school by selling "Barack Obama is my Homeboy" shirts.. I bought one and wished them well.. Next thing I know, they had sold another one to the man next to me..

People here are just waiting for this election to implode... The whole continent is just hoping for him to pull this off... And come to think of it, what a huge celebration there will be here if he wins....

Swimming this afternoon, then having a friends over for dinner.. Apparently they are brining impala to eat...(photo) No other news.. I joined Facebook yesterday and am completely sucked into it... The kids have soiled themselves, have their fingers in electrical sockets and are swimming without supervision, but I am determined to make sure I add more friends... God, I'm an idiot..

Michelle has booked our flight out of Gabs.... We leave here December 6th and head to Cape Town to try our hand at flying all 7 of us standby to Cincinnati... Keep your fingers crossed.. The good news is.. If we get stuck in Cape Town.. We are stuck in Cape town.. I can't think of a better place to have to hang out for a few days..

December 6th we begin our journey back home. When Michelle told me she got the confirmation, I was excited, but also very sad.. Our adventure is coming to an end..

Jacob turns 13!!!! I have gray hair and my Mmangkodi Photographers

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Originally uploaded by andreweckeckerle

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Originally uploaded by andreweckeckerle

Jacob is officially 13 today... I cannot believe it, but I'll have to deal with it. We have no set plans for the day, although I think he has plans to hang out with friends this evening. We opted not to go camping this weekend considering we are going to Soweto next weekend for the marathon, and it just might be too much.. Jaob, as I've stated many time before, has handled this move to Botswana better than I ever expected.. To be moved from all of your friends, a school you had attended for 6 years, leave family and move 9000 miles from home.... he has adjusted and really taken advantage of the experience.. We are planning a party for him in 2 weeks, and until then... i'll probably treat him to lunch and take him out to get something. Last night we had our first major rainstorm.. It has cooled off the place by about 10 degrees and it feels like home.. It's nice.

I had the first of many rolls of film developed yesterday for the children in Mmangkodi.. Needless to say, they are some of the most beautiful photos I have ever seen. This of course is my opinion, but the photos are striking.. And what some of them lack in high quality, they make up in their simple and touching imagery..

One side note.. When I went to have the rolls of film developed, the owner of the shop donated 17 rolls of film to the cause.. I though that was pretty awesome and very thoughtful..


Here's a slideshow of some of the children's photos.



Happy Birthday Jacob!!!

Mmmm.... Magwina!

Ok, I am back online.. my computer is back and the kids are on a long weekend... Again.
It's like they never really go to school.. Jacob has completed his large project on Malaria and apparently passed with flying colors.. 2 nights ago, we were invited to a viewing of all of the major projects completed by the Standard 7 class.. There were projects devoted to Xenophobia, Malaria, child slavery, African poverty, Pollution, Immigration issues, Poor rulers, Genocide..etc.. It was an impressive display of work by the kids and something I don't Jacob would have ever been exposed to back home.. I know he learned alot from doing the research as well as from his classmates..

Now, onto Magwina.. which is Setswana for "fatcake". Every morning a husband and wife team walk the streets with 2 buckets.. 1 is filled with soup, the other is filled with Magwina.. The are basically large fried dough balls that are absolutely awesome... They stop by our home every morning, our gardener and security guard always buy one, I usually buy 3 or 4 for the kids.. Cost is 1 pula each(about 12 cents)... If you want soup, the pour it into a sandwich bag and dump the magwina in the bag as well.. Jude loves them..

They are sold in the shops nearby, but the husband and wife team are my suppliers..

I am still debating as to whether Jacob , Kate and I will head to Khutse for one more camping trip with the lions, leopards, cheetah and hyenas.. I am waiting for Jacob to decide.. He turns 13 tomorrow and it is up to him..

Life is going well here and things are getting busy.. We are preparing to come home, but at the same time are trying to stay focused on things here.. Michelle seems busier than ever with work...
I picked up the cameras from the children in Mmangkodi yesterday and had the film developed.. There are some amazing photographs, many that I hope to included in my exhibit when we return..
Many of these children live in horrible conditions, but seem to manage to keep their head afloat, and always seem happy..

I have lots of photos today... Jacob with his project... Kate looking half asleep... Michelle's friend Agnes who runs a tuck shop outside the hospital.. Magwina!!!!
some of the children at Mmangkodi.. One of them is a small class of youngsters singing "put you left hand in..." etc . A little girl who I hope I will never forget(in the blue school uniform).

It's hot, kids are swimming, twins are sleeping, Kabo(the piano teacher) is sleeping on the couch, Steven(securtiy guard) is sleeping under a tree...It's nap time here in Botsawna.. Not much else to do, considering it's too hot to go outside..

ALl for now.. If we camp, wish us luck... The third time is a charm!!!



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check back tomorrow or friday

Sorry folks, my computer has been sabotaged by Jacob for his class project.. He is displaying all of his work at school and it looks great.. I'll have photos up later.. But for now, He needs my laptop during my peak posting time. I will be back tomorrow or on Friday.. we have another long weekend this weekend and me and the older kids may go to Khutse for one more sleep out with the lions.. We'll see..
It is Jacob's birthday on Friday, so it's up to him...
I will show you photos of the greatest Setswana food ever next post.. makgina(sp)
as well as an update from Reneestwe and other news.. ALl for now.

weekend update

we had a nice quiet weekend here.. It involved a little bit of swimming, eating peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with ostrich and zebra, sitting on our butts and a drive out to a local village.

On Saturday afternoon Michelle and i packed the kids up and headed out to Thamaga to pick up some local pottery.. With our time here coming to a close, it is time for us to stock up on all of the goods..It was a nice drive out into the bush, and Thamaga is your usual type village. The warehouse for the pottery was simple and pottery was abundant and cheap.

On saturday night, we headed to our neighborhood game reserve with our friends and had sandwiches and chips while Jude scared away all of the ostrich and zebra in the vicinity. Kate and Maura played with their friends in the bush while the adults had a few sundowners.

On Sunday Michelle headed out to a funeral for a patient of hers, then we headed out to some our friends' home in the bush.. They rent a beautiful thatched roof home out in the middle of nowhere.. When we entered the home, there were a few warthogs munching on the grass right in the backyard.. Jude tied to mount one but was unsuccessful.. We hung out there all day sitting around and letting the kids entertain themselves. A nice way to spend a sunday. Being a curious person who is still absolutely scare of snakes, I asked them if they had spotted any in their yards.. Because where they live, the likelihood of coming across a snake is 100% greater than where we live. They told us that just recently their gardener had killed a spitting cobra. Now that's a snake!!!

Life returns to normal this morning and all the kids are off to school.. Jacob returned to us last night and says he had a great weekend in South Africa.. Apparently he swam a 600m event did well... He was exhausted last night and went to bed at 6:45.

My goal for this remaining time is to take as many photogaphs as possible.. We'll see. Trying to plan one last long weekend excursion soon.. as we begin to say goodbye to this wonderful place..

All for now. The pictures are the kids at the game reserve.. One is the kids eating under a hide/game viewing area, Michelle and Frances standing in the middle of an open field looking for zebra, ostrich, etc... And surprise!!! Jude eating

Take 2 Bar.. take two!

Headed out to Odi again on Friday to drop off some photos to the patrons of "Take 2 Bar", as well as visit the Odi Weavers and place an order...
Due to the Wall Street problem, etc.. the dollar to pula has gone up.. When we got here, the dollar = 6 pula... now the dollara =8.. which is a great thing for us.. And if you feel the urge to visit South Africa, the dollar now = 10Rand.. It was = 7. So things look much more affordable... Almost a steal.

Well, it wasn't difficult to find all of the people who I had photos for, there were all there sitting in the exact same places they had been last week.. I did meet an older woman who was waiting for the combi... In one of the photos , you can see them hailing down the packed mini bus..

The place is absolutely great and everyone is very, very kind..
Jacob has headed out to Sun City in South Africa.. THe equivalent of Disney WOrld in South Africa.. He headed there with a friend and will be back on Sunday.. They have a casino for kids...What a great way to get little ones into a wonderful addiction like gambling.. I gave Jacob some money and told him if he didn't double the amount playing Black Jack, that he shouldn't come home...

It rained slightly last night as a huge storm passed through,(first time in 6 months) but with no real rainfall.. It was enough thunder and lightning to cancel the softball games..
It's late morning here, not sure what the plan is this afternoon.. Tonight we are meeting with friends for an evening game drive and picnic with the kids... Should be fun.. But it is about 600 degreees outside...

All for now, hope you like the photos..One of them is of the botswana currency, the Botswana Pula...Pula means Rain.

Simba and Scar were from Botswana..

Can't talk long... busy day today.. not really anything significant... but just busy.
My sources here tell me that "Hakuna Ma thata" is Setswana.... And it really does mean "no worries, or "no matter" . Therefore, one can say that "THe Lion King" did take place in or around Botswana... Where , I don't know... But timon, Pumba and all the gang lived somewhere near here.... pretty cool eh?

Judging by the landscape of the movie, I would say Tuli Block or Kasane...
"no ma thata" is said alot here and it's only taken me a year + to figure that out...
I'm a slow learner..
Nothing going on.. It's blazing hot.. the kids are out swimming and I am making some pizza.. Kate had swimming today after school and simply kept on her swimming kit, as they like to say here, and jumped as soon as we got home...

Jacob is finishing up a major project on Malaria and has done a very good job handling all the work.... The twins are refusing to sleep during the afternoons, which is becoming a problem... oh well.... Hakuna ma thata!!!!
Gotta go!!! I think the whole city stayed up to watch the debate last night...

sobering day

I headed out to Mmankgodi yesterday afternoon and took along a young man who has offered to work with me in order to make some money for his younger brother who is suffering from HIV... He was a great help and a wonderful young man. Michelle has really been talking to him most of the time and it was her idea to get him involved in my photo project.. We took a drive out to Mmankgodi, about 45 minutes outside of Gabs. This young man(23 yrs old) left a job in Johannesburg to come back to Botswana to take care of his younger brother.. He was working in a gas station at nights, and for the afternoons was making sure his brother got the appropriate treatment. The job at the gas station became too much and he is presently looking for a job.

He was awesome with the kids at the orphanage, and worked with them in showing them how to use the various cameras and explaining what to do .... The orphanage was tough to visit...alot of young kids, all left alone(many due to HIV). Giving them a camera to take photos was a big highlight and was received warmly.. My young man talked to each individual child and explained exactly what he wanted them to do.. On the way back to gabs, he expressed his thanks for the "piece job" and said how wonderful of a person Michelle was... I agreed... because as a husband, that's what you have to do.... Honestly it was great to hear and I knew his situation way before our meeting because Michelle has been speaking about him for quite some time.. It was good to give him some help...

When I returned home, Michelle gave me the news that another one of her patients (that she has mentioned in past posts) had passed away... He was 16..

This was sad news and made me again realize how fortunate we are.... It's difficult to complain about a single thing when you are discussing life with a 23 yr. old who is willing to do anything to make some money to feed himself and his brother who is trying to cope with AIDS.. It's difficult to mope and whine about the difficulties of managing 5 healthy children when children who have already lost their parents , pass away at a very young age..

The thing that I find most striking, is that no matter how difficult things have gotten for some of these people(particularly the young man who helped me) is that their outlook is still very positive, optimistic and happy...
Here's some photos of the kids and their cameras.

radio highlights

This morning, as most are, was a bit hectic. Getting the kids out of bed, dressed, fed, and off to school on time can be a struggle.. School starts at 7:25, so we usually get going around 6. I got them packed and in the truck and off to school. It's a great feeling... And the great thing is most of them are very eager to go to school.

This morning on the way I felt an overwhelming sense of sadness that our time here is almost over(sorry mom). And as much as Michelle and I have talked about eventually settling down here later in life, it'll be hard to cut the cord on this place in December.. I am very excited to come home, but we have been very happy here... I feel like we've gained alot being from here and have made some very good connections with people here.

I saw the usual characters walking to work, or setting up shop along the street.. The 800 car wash spots that the men sit in all day long waiting for a customer, the women sitting in the middle of a dusty lot with a small table full of popcorn bags, cheese curls and phone cards... shattered beer bottles, trash, run down bus stops... These things I love and will miss.

oK, enough rambling.... Here's some audio clips.... I take an recorder around town with me as much as possible.. this is a few samples of some recordings..
1.The news at the top of the hour...The best news intro I've ever heard.... sounds like a cool marching band.
2Jude and his new found friend Lucky.. Who jude was totally fascinated with and would not let go of..
3. Celeste saying "cut the grass" in her native language Ndebele.
4. Me taking photos in the village of Odi.. it's a boring sound clip, but gives you a sense of how quiet life is here... Notice the 2 or 3 cars you hear rolling by.. It's very nice.... like being out in the country... but there are deadly snakes lurking in the bushes...



Ok.. all for now.. I am headed to Mmangkodi today to meet with kids and give them some cameras to give them a chance to take photos of their daily life.. Hope all is well back home

my kids talk funny

With 7 weeks to go in our adventure here in Africa, things are going well...
We had a nice weekend with some activities, but still alot of downtime..
Unfortunately, Maura decided to unleash her South African accent on us as well...

As I'm sure most South Africans find my accent ugly and crude, I find the south African twang simply annoying...It's hard to describe, kind of like a rugged English accent... Instead of Yeah, they say Yaw... Not Ya'll ,Yaw...

I think it's mostly the inflection that drives me nuts.. It's like being on a roller coaster ride.. Where the sentence or phrase will gradually go up, then quickly come down at the end.... In terms of how it really sounds here... check out this You tube video about the Afrikaaner accent... It's really funny... I can't embed the site, so you have to cut and past the address into your browser

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNJVMJH5OhI

Then, if you want to hear the real Afrikaaner language, check out the Simpsons!!!




But my children have developed their English accents and hopefully it will go away when they come home... Then they can talk like funny Americans.

Yesterday was officially our first day of hanging poolside.. It was a nice day and it's getting hotter...Jude and Frances enjoyed hanging out in their intertubes

I went to the bank this morning to cash a check... Took a magazine, expected to wait in line for an hour only to be turned for a number of reasons... (didn't sign the check right, bank didn't have any money, closed for lunch break at 9am, etc)... Well as I've stated before... expect the worst and you'll be pleasantly surprised.. I walked in, 3rd in line and got my money in less than 15 minutes.. It was grand

Here's another video for you viewing enjoyment .. It's the kids at the pool.. Hope you enjoy..

sunny saturday

It's hot. a white person need not lay out in this sunshine.. you will fry.
Jacob had softball tryouts this morning for the Southern Schools Botswana team...
He made the squad and will head to Francistown in a few weeks to play the Norhern Schools team in a few matches..
I think he's pretty excited about it... Point is, my neck is burnt to a crisp.

The Nortshide team is now 2-1.. We lost a tough one last night 9-8.. That's what happens when no one on the team can catch a ball. But last night's game was the start of the friday night league here in town.. It's really a great venue.. families from the school, even if they don't have kids playing, come and bring a cooler full of beer or wine and sit and enjoy the game...As I know I've stated before, sports just aren't something parents go apeshit over. It's a part of life, but it's totally relaxed..and fun.. What a novel idea.

Kate is now serving well in tennis and Maura is continuing to draw 24/7. Kobus(kate's coach) seems to think she is getting better and better each practice...

I went out to Odi a few days ago to take some photos.. It was alot of fun as I hung out at the "take two bar" and watched a group of young rastafarians take part in their "religious rite" . They really enjoy practicing their religious beliefs here and word on the streets is that the Botswana government is considering making marijuana legal for rastafarians due to the fact that it is a part of their religion.. If this happens, there will be the biggest conversion to Rastafarianism ever....

Odi is one of my favorite places to go... It's totally quiet, dusty and almost feels like an old western town..The people are always friendly and interested in what I am doing.. As i was driving into the village I came across an old abandoned home... I decided to take some photos..

Michelle and Kate went to a ladies luncheon and the 3 little ones are sleeping.. Jacob and I are watching baseball and enjoying having the doors and windows open... Nice breeze today.. Our neighbors who I would assume are the leaders of the local rastafarian church are taking part in some "rasta fun" and yukking it up, while our other neighbors are practicing their violin.. What a strange mix of neighbors.. Speaking of my pothead neighbors... I made them a Beach Boys CD the other day... they asked for some music.. "Beach Boys and Simple Minds." Simple Minds?
I gave them the Beach Boys and some James Brown instead..
Here's some photos of my little day trip to Odi

Some of my arty images from the abandoned home, some signs at the bar...a few women from the bar... and of course, the rasta boys... who all wanted to go to American.. When I told them you can't smoke pot out in the open like you can here, the reconsidered.

The local clothing store... "Mafia Gear" are now selling Barack Obama t-shirts...
The headlines at home will probably read.. "Obama linked to Botswana Mafia!!!"

classic Botswana

Well,
My attempt to ship a heavily debated box back to the U.S. has failed...I will spare you the ins and outs of the the whole experience... But here's a quick summary..

1. took the box to 3 local post offices, no one knew if I could ship it.
2. took it to the sorting division... they weighed it , said it had to weigh under 20kgs... it weighed 20.5
3. reboxed the contents, took it back, it weighed 20.3... uncacceptable.. Told me to split the contents into 2 boxes... Brilliant idea!!!! right???
4. took 2 new boxes back, each box weighed under 20 kgs.. they said ok... I put them in their storage area and went to get cash out of the ATM machine to pay for shipping... ATM machines weren't working.... any of them.... found one eventually, went back to find 5 people huddled around my boxes(this was yesterday)... They questioned me as to what was in the boxes, I told them.. They said "why can't you put them in smaller boxes? They are too long." Told them I couldn't, unless i cut up the contents..I was furious...but kept my cool. I explained to them that I've been there 3 times and no one had told me about the boxes being too big in size... and that as long as it was under the weight restriction there was no problem.... No one knew the rules, they sent me to the main office.. No one there knew, we went back to the "sorting division", met with 5 other people and they came to the conclusion that it was, in fact too long... My options.... send it anyway, but that the packages will probably be sent back by South AFrica...

It was classic.... I knew it was too good to be true when I pulled into the office and there was a parking space right next to the loading dock.. But we all learned a lesson yesterday... the 5 managers at the post office learned the rules of shipping, I learned that you can never, ever be certain that things are going to go your way here... there's always a glitch... And i should always be totally pessimistic all the time. If I stay pessimistic, those rare occassions when things do go smoothly(like money in an ATM), are like a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day... Which is a bad analogy here, where there is never any clouds to begin with.. I have learned this lesson at least once a week since we've been here... But such is life.

Michelle is out in the boondocks today, seeing sick children in the remote village of Ghanzi, on the edge of the Kalahari.... Another classic Botswana instance..Michelle was supposed to fly there this morning,but the plane has a problem.. So she is driving the 7 hours through the desert, spending the night there and coming back tomorrow.. What else would you expect? I am heading out to take photos.. need to get back to that.. It's been some time.. Going out to meet with the people... the "Mothusi Six Packs" . A little election/Botswana name humor. Get it? There's noone here named Joe, so I inserted a common name form Botswana... Funny? Maybe not..

Kids are doing well, Jacob is up late at night preparing his "exhibition work". He chose a major problem facing africa, and his topic was Malaria... He's made a brochure, a research paper and a powerpoint presentation...And he intends to make a video as well... We'll see how it goes, but he seems to be quietly enjoying it... My prediction is that Jacob will be a graphic designer when he grows up.. He'll spend hours cutting and pasting images and manipulating fonts....

All for now..

a day at the park

Well, a park here is a little bit different than at home... Kids can't take off their shoes(too much glass) there's no swings(just the polls) and slides that have rotted and have huge holes in them.. So there's no real sitting down and watching your kids at this park.. But it was nice to get out with the kids , take a walk and talk to some of our neighbors..
Here's some photos of the kids as well as some of a family and their children who were there playing with us...

Today , the twins went to school, excited as all get out.. It's quiet here at home..