Permits Galore

We got them! Since last Friday we’re the proud owners of work- and resident-permits, valid till January 30 2012. Just in time, as we’re to going to Cape Town.
This of course had to be commemorated big time. For starters we had spring rolls from Phakalane-China, Guinness, and a dangerous looking icy blue drink. Dessert basically is a synonym for custard, jelly-pudding, or both, so we made both. Saturday Bram managed to get fresh bread-rolls and almost fresh Danish. Which called for an extra board meeting. Sunday the party went on with fried eggs for breakfast, and pancakes for dinner. And still we haven’t partied enough to express how happy we are!
Not-our-dogs Princess-who’s-real-name-is-Mosadi and her two remaining sons enjoyed their extra dog chunks and banana-flavoured Morvite. Eating that pap is their favour to Bram, who bought a big package of this new taste, but hates it. Giving it to the neighbour’s dogs allows him to go back to the Morvite Original. According to Bashi this sorghum-pap with a lot of added goodies like vitamins is a must for the miners.

WWS 12

Where We Sleep 12: one of the (fairly) new chalets in the Khama Rhino Sanctuary.
We planned to camp, but as it started to rain, and we had a lot of work to do, they offered us a chalet. Camping is much nicer (and more bug-free), but having power and a table under a roof allowed us to stomach our first fact-finding day at Serowe Printers Coop Society and prepare for the second day.
In between we tested the KRS vehicle-stickers (new design) we brought form Gabs on one of de safari-cars. Can’t wait to drive around in one of ‘our’ KRS-cars to take pictures for their event-stand.
This stay we didn’t find time for a game-drive. To make up some kudus strolled by when Maud had her morning coffee. Hearing her say to Bram ‘look, kudu’ a curious female turned around, walked back and stared at us. Imagine this as your place to stay on a business trip!

Busy...

This poor blog is being neglected. As are Maud’s e-mails. We experience so much – and that’s why she can’t find time to write.
After X-mass business was to be really slow, but we got this unexpected assignment, on top of the jobs we already had, while social life and the house keep us occupied also. Although the house is perfectly fit to live in, there’re all this minor and major improvements to make. And social events keep popping up like weed.
Last week we were in Serowe for a consultancy on the Serowe Printers Coop Society. Friday we franticly started writing our report.
As usual we stayed in the Khama Rhino Sanctuary Trust near Serowe, which, also as usual, brought us more jobs for this wondrous game-park. Even the animals love it too much. Manager Moremi: “I don’t know what it is with our rhino’s, they’re breeding like rats.” The main thing this time is designing their stand for a big tourism-conference (including making pictures). The KRST-jobs are by far our nicest, as is the payment: staying there whenever for free.
We pitch for another interesting job, the identity programme of the Botswana Government Environmental Protection Support Programme.
Meanwhile we have to prepare for Cape Town. We leave February 15 and return around March 3 (use our RSA-phone-numbers during that period). This trip will be a mixture of pleasure (camping & visiting friends) and business (Design Indaba and matchmaking event Dutch-RSA design bureaus).

One

Traditionally birthdays aren’t considered a party-occasion in Botswana, but that is changing. Especially the first B-day should be remembered Big Time. So imagine when it’s a double event...
February 3 Edu Zachary and Tom Uyapo had their First B-day Party at Morwa. Now Dutch people will think turning one, that’s an easy job. You buy some chips, peanuts, sweets, drinks and a cake, and you’re ready. Not in Botswana. Next to the chips etc. you have to ‘organize’ a sheep and a goat. Meaning you buy live animals that have to be turned into seswaa and stew. You just have to have a jumping castle. (Hamish and Bram are designing the XXX-rated adult version.) All in one, it’s a major effort for a major event.
The party was as successful as the amount of stress beforehand; it was a big hit. When the kids got high on lemonade and hotdogs we knew why the jumping castle is a must: otherwise they’ll ransack the house. Do the grown-ups need one also? They seem quite happy, sitting on top of their cool boxes packed with beer and cider.

Moona Mogolo

Moona mogolo meets moona mogolo: two man, well into their 70-ties, exchanging oral history. Maud had a fascinating time listening to LJ and Tom’s granddad Patrick (van Rensburg, see the Wikipedia). LJ has this genuine interest in people, so he got Patrick really talking, and he has very interesting stories himself also.

Funerals

Saturday 05.00 am – jessis, who set the alarm?! Please turn it off! Please - we only fell sound asleep half an hour ago because the neighbours were praying and singing all night! Oh no, that’s why, jump out of bed, get ready, they stopped to bath, that’s what we should do, and make it snappy.
After four deaths within three months when we arrived in the Netherlands last April we thought we wouldn’t have a funeral for a while. But just before X-mass Maud’s grandmother and Moruwe passed away.
Moruwe, who was doing the carpentry in our house (LJ taught him), was our first nearby experience with death in Botswana. It was very sad and at the same time weird. Sad because he was an exceptionally nice, good man, and his wife is pregnant with their first to be born. Weird because what follows is a train of steps everyone knows by hart - except LJ and we. Ever been to a morgue where they pull out one of those drawers you know from B-movies? Out comes the not yet cleaned body of Moruwe, who only has been dead a few hours. The men who are around have to put him in a coffin and carry him into a car. Of you race to the yard (it’s close to 40 degrees and the body is not yet frozen), and than to the funeral parlour. He should be escorted properly, but racing as fast as the car with the body will only bring more deaths.
January we had two funerals in the village: our neighbour and Bashi’s grandfather. As we know now funerals are an important part of social village life.
Saturday 05.30 am: we are ready by the time Jeff and Pelo walk over to our yard. We missed the first part of the funeral service, but are still in time to hear some speeches, prayers and songs, and view the coffin. In an orderly disorderly escort we bring the coffin to the graveyard, where it is lowered into the grave accompanied by more praying and singing. The singing is magnificent. After the men filled up the grave everyone races back to the yard for brunch (it’s not yet 9 am). The week prior we followed the preparations: goats and a cow were slaughtered, and huge piles of bogobe (sorghum-pap) are cooked.
The slaughtering and cooking are only part of the activities. Until the funeral there are daily prayers - an hour of praying and singing in the afternoon, followed by tea, bread and catching up with each other. (The bread is delicious, baked in cast-iron pots in an open fire. Maud found someone who’s going to teach her how to make it.) The men sit together under a tree or tent, and the women stand around the cooking pots or sit in front of the house. Because we are mekgowa (white) we only have to go to the prayers once, but otherwise it’s a weeklong obligation. We even know by heart what food we should buy for the contribution of the mekgowa-families (Jeff & Pelo and we join forces for funerals, and baby-showers).
The last night there is a wake. A solemn happening, although some men see it as an occasion to get very drunk.

Speeches

Hille and Bashi’s grandfather used to share a 6-pack on Sunday-morning.

The Women

The men