Fall in the Kalagari

It's fall in Botswana. You wouldn't necessarily know just by looking; there are no colorful leaves on maple trees, or pumpkins carved outside of huts. Fall here doesn't mean that Christmas is just around the corner.
Fall in Botswana is the rains gradually letting up and nights becoming cooler. It's realizing that walking across the village in the middle of the day wasn't as hot as usual; maybe summer is waning. Visually everything looks the same; the rains were so heavy this year that my village is still completely green, and I hope that means that there are good crops and healthy animals this year. People's livelihoods depend on it.

Fall means change. Changes in the weather, and changes for me. I'm realizing that whether or not I admit it, I'm in the final stretch of my service. There are two and a half weeks left of school this term, and the students spend most of that testing. I'll be busy coordinating the logistics for a big camp in the middle of May during the school break. Hopefully going on vacation afterwards, and June brings the second term of school. I have two friends visiting at the end of June, and a week after they leave my group has our close of service conference in July. One more school break in August, and two to three* more months of teaching and living here, and I am finished. Hopefully travelling for a month or two before I return stateside in time for Christmas.

I write this, but it hasn't sunk in yet. Six to seven months still seems like a fairly long time, although not nearly as long as I've been here, which is nineteen months and counting. I'm still in a good place, which is happy where I am, and also happy that time hasn't stopped; it's still nice to know that each week and month I live here is also one week or month closer to being home again. But I've also been trying very hard to mentally be here, and not continually wishing myself home. That's not to say I've never homesick, and the changing of seasons brings that on the most, because I think of fall on the east coast, and the holidays, and it's the time of year that it feels the least like Africa here. I've been trying to keep busy, and I feel like the next few months are going to be even busier. While I'm not a huge fan of the PC policy of lock down** for the last few months at site, I think I will appreciate the down time to mentally prepare for returning home.

So change is in the air. I'm taking a few days to get rid of a cold that won't leave, and catching up on some reading. Since the students are testing there's nothing for me to do at school for 2 weeks. I'm enjoying the slightly drier, cooler weather, knowing that soon it will be freaking cold at night and that at least 1/3 of my waking hours will be in my sleeping bag on my computer, trying to be productive and warm at the same time. My fingers are crossed that the grant money that myself and a bunch of PCVs applied for comes in on time for the camp we've planned in a few weeks.

Fall has always been one of my favorite seasons. It's different here in Bots; Easter, for instance, instead of Halloween, but its not necessary bad different. I would still love some hot apple cider though.

*My official COS, close of service, which means end of my service, is November 14th. But there is a chance I might end a month early if another volunteer is replacing me and need my house. I'll find that out in a couple of months.

**The official PC policy is the first 3 months and the last 3 months of service are supposed to be in my village, aka not travelling or on vacation. Some people follow this policy more than others ;)