Visit to an Orphanage

I realized it's been a little while since my last update... probably because now that we are settled in, life in Botswana has been pretty normal and uneventful. Honestly, there isn't a whole lot to blog about. Things at work have slowed down a lot - we got through a month or so of non-stop visitors to our section and so now I can finally take time to introduce myself to contacts in town, and begin getting more familiar with the issues I'll be covering in the next two years.... rather than running around like a crazy person setting up meetings and events for various visitors! I am planning another work consultations trip to Ghanzi, a small town in the western region of Botswana near the border with Namibia. Scott and I will drive the 8 hours to Ghanzi, spend two nights there, then drive 6 more hours to Windhoek, Namibia to check it out over Veteran's Day weekend.... then it's 14 hours back to Gaborone! We are looking forward to getting to see a different part of Botswana, and excited to soon be adding another country to our list of places we've been!

On a different note, this afternoon I visited an orphanage here in Gaborone, and wow, what a touching experience! The visit was most definitely one of my favorite things I've done since arriving here. There were about 30 kids under the age of 6 staying at the facility awaiting adoption or foster care. The kids are so lonely with only a few caretakers who don't have time to give them the individual attention they really need, and the minute my colleague and I walked into the room, we were instantly swarmed by the little guy. They jumped on the opportunity to have fresh, new people there and demanded to be picked up and cuddled! One poor little girl burst into tears when I wouldn't pick her up - but a that moment I already had a child on each hip. The instant I sat down on the couch, I had three toddlers all trying to sit on my lap at once. The kids were dying to be hugged, tickled, or given any kind of physical contact really. It was very touching to be able to make them so happy simply be being a body for them to hug - especially given that I knew many of them had come to the shelter from abusive or dangerous family situations. They are extremely sweet little people, and it sure was a fun and rewarding way to spend the afternoon. I am definitely going back to play with the kids some more!