Then we flew from Addis Ababa to Gaborone, Botswana. Similarly, Gaborone is the capital of Botswana. The last flight was about seven hours! It was a very long journey. On the bright side, I got to relax and watch my favorite TV show on the airplane!
After arriving in Gaborone, we drove to Ramotswa. Ramotswa is a pretty big village in Botswana. For the next three months, we lived in Ramotswa to attend Peace Corps training! In Ramotswa, each Peace Corps volunteer stayed with a host family (a local family that a volunteer lives with). I was very nervous because I had never lived with a host family before. But, it turned out to be a great experience!
At first, I was nervous that I would have to eat food I didn’t like and most of all, I was nervous that my host family wouldn’t like me! Luckily, none of these things turned out to be true. Staying with a host family was so fun! My host family made me feel very comfortable like I was a part of their family! A few nights a week, we liked to cook dinner together and then watch TV at night to relax. Living in a new country can be a little overwhelming but, with the help of a great host family, I always felt like I had support and people who were willing to answer my many questions!
Most important of all, my host family taught me everything that I needed to know to live in my own house in Masunga! They taught me to cook using local ingredients and how to do my laundry by hand! Doing laundry by hand is different than what I am used to at home. But it is something I have started to enjoy – especially when I start early in the morning and put my favorite music on while I do my washing!
In November, the Peace Corps hosted a swearing-in ceremony for us!
