Tomorrow is the - or at least 'a' - big day!

"Things turn out best for people who make the best of the way things turn out."

Hey everyone. Please excuse my loooong delay from writing, it's occurred as a result of a number of factors. Firstly, there just hasn't been much going on! My life right now is very calculated - training has its benefits but in general it's just machinery through which I have to work my way. Tomorrow we all have our big ceremony to announce where in Botswana we will be placed for two years. I had my interview this week... my supervisor seems incredibly receptive about our desires and preferences so hopefully I will be pleased. At the end of the day, my placement will matter a lot less than my perception of it, but there are a few spots I am really itching to be a part of. Then on Tuesday we have the pleasure of going to visit our site for a week or so, and then we come back to wrap up about two more weeks of training. I'll be very much ready to go to site - I'd be ready if it was tomorrow - but I am trying to reap what I can out of everyday at the moment, especially since I know I will miss some of my fellow colleagues once we disperse.

This week I haven't gotten much sleep at all, I am sure in part due to tomorrow's big news. I feel a little bit lonely... just a little bit, don't worry! I think the ironic part is that my loneliness is juxtaposed with an extreme eagerness to get to site and be alone. I am indeed an enigma at times.

I hear gas is high in America... you know what that means? It's even higher in the rest of the world. Hate to burst your bubble. The prices of taxis and buses went up a lot here as well. But it's something we'll all have to work through together I guess.

Anyway, no more words for now - I'll try to post Monday before I leave for my site.

Thanks Scott for the periodic phone calls... hope the cycling is going well! Rick, your gift box is being used daily, and each time with many thanks to and thoughts of you. Dana and Ginnie, sorry our calls got cut off - service has been bad. Try again soon? Jess and Becky, I'm in the process of formulating a nice response to you both.

Karin, where are you?

Love you all.

Mail & Things

"Life's too short to take all of this"
Not true! And what's more -
Life's too short to mind,
So just keep on
With the Sweet Up & Down
~D.Matthews

I am not having much time to write at the moment, so more will come later - including responses to my many emails! Thanks.

As for mail to Botswana, the USPS has a flat-rate envelope and some flat-rate boxes. There are two flat-rate boxes that hold the same volume (but are different shapes) that are $37 and a larger box that is $49. I am not sure how much the flat-rate envelope is. But you can stuff as much as possible into the boxes for the same price, hence flat rate. They take a few weeks to get here.

*IMPORTANT* on the customs form, LIE. Do not write what's really in the box... it becomes more likely to be opened by sticky fingers along the way and some things I am supposed to pay taxes on. So just write 'educational materials' or 'documents'. This will keep people out.

Again the address (until late June) is:

Brent Keener
US PEACE CORPS
Private Bag 00243
Gaborone, Botswana

"Trav'lin All Alone..."

This world is like a mirror –
Reflect on what you do
And if you face it smiling
It will smile right back to you
~Culture

Such a great lyric! Life is good my way. One of the books I am currently reading is very powerful, A New Earth. I avoided the book for some time as it’s an awfully trendy read right now (part of Oprah’s book club, hence its popularity), but I surrendered after it was recommended by a friend whose opinion I hold in the highest regard. I am glad I took his advice. Yes, you could say it’s a bit of a ‘self-help’ book --- and those of you who were with me in Ghana (Round I) recall my affinity for self-help books while in Africa! Ha! But for a year or so I’ve been kind of feeling like my personal development has plateaued some, and this book is really adjusting my perceptions to my social environment as well as my thoughts. I must admit though it’s making me a bit of a recluse. I’ve noticed a lot of people in the group have formed close-knit pairs or trios and while I think I am still the only one who can name every person and training staff member, I don’t seem to be forming a close attachment. This is kind of unnatural for me and I guess if I think about it too much I may take it personally, but at the same time I am enjoying the solitude and am reminding myself that in less than two months I will be the only lekgoa (white person) in town, and so my deep connections need to be with Batswana anyway. I do love my cohort though - very true and powerful individuals.

Anyway, I wish I could explain the book but I fear I would do it no justice. But I would say if you’re feeling a bit stuck - personally/mentally/emotionally/spiritually – if you find yourself incessantly trying and failing to make changes in your attitudes, if you constantly feel like a slave to your own thoughts, find yourself falling into the same traps (often the ones you set for yourself), or if you wish you could eradicate negativity from your mental radar then I suggest you pick it up. The author’s writing style and examples are slightly elementary for my taste, but I think it is because he is not a native English speaker. The material, however, is pure and is really assisting me towards the personal development that I have been seeking – made easier by my new environment which is in itself so influential and inspiring. A part of me wishes I could share with you some of my new thoughts and feelings, but at this point I find it quite personal. Some one-on-one talks with margaritas could potentially pull it out of me, but I don’t see my blog as an equally conducive environment. Maybe another time.

Priscillah is gone. She was to stay until May’s end but Mama stumbled upon a new girl this past weekend and so Priscilla left early. She knocked on my door on Sunday to say “I am leaving”. I thought she meant for the day so I was just like “Cool, see ya later buddy” but nope she left for good… talk about a quick goodbye. So we have a new girl, Imelda. She must be about 18 or so and is fresh off the boat; she just arrived in Botswana last Wednesday. She is awfully shy, as I guess I would be too if I was an 18 year old maid for a relatively rich family in a new country. There are hierarchies within hierarchies, aren’t there? Life is so fascinating and our experience of it is just the tip of the iceberg’s tip.

Wednesday I leave for a place called Piliqwe to shadow someone who currently serves here. Her name is Ashlee, she works in an HIV/AIDS treatment clinic and has been here for one year. So I will have the pleasure of learning from her from Wednesday – Sunday. It will be so nice to get away from the monotony of training and to see a different part of the country.

As you approach summer, think of me as I prepare to bear the cold. By the looks of April, we are expecting a colder winter than normal.

Jamin – Good luck in Rwanda! Send me an email with all of your pre-thoughts. I’m so eager to know how you’re reconciling your upcoming departure with your current anxiety.

Holly – kick some butt these past few weeks. Congrats on officially being the smartest and the prettiest Keener.

Heidi – Don’t worry, you’re the richest… and if you play it right, that lasts a lot longer than brains or beauty!

Jessica & Becky – Do you even read this? LOL. I need an update on your lives STAT.

Ginnie - Hang in there... application process is so so frustrating but you'll make it through. Consider it part of the training for being patient and accepting ;)

Mauricio – If you didn’t send me one yet, I need an update on that last message you sent me!

Dana – Africa just isn’t the same without you. I’ll see/smell/hear something and whip around as if to find you behind me so I can share it with you, but alas no you. But you’re here with me in another way and that will continue.

Karin & Sara – You’ve got mail.

Stephen – Where’s my first CD at Gayngsta? I’m glad you’ve had such a productive semester and I hope summer gives you what you deserve.

Scott – When you cyclin’ buddy? Care to cycle your way to Molepolole?

K.Hubb – Every day there is some song to which I want to text you the lyrics, but int’l texts are so bloody expensive. But if it’s the thought that counts then your inbox is eternally bombarded with copious texts of cheesy lyrics.

Caroline – Pick VT for reasons that are self-explanatory, or I could write you a massive email convincing you. Also need an update on that last message you sent me!

Zach – Z... sorry that the minor delay in our voices kind of limits the scope of our conversations, but hearing you as much as I do is bound to have me going through withdrawal should it subside. It’s the best way to start my mornings. Check your email boy.

Who else reads this god-long thing?

Somebody tell Raven I miss and love him and good God will someone order a nice bourbon in my honor?