Maun, Paula, and the worst burger in the world.

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Awoke in the morning with only a slight hangover...er....memory of the wine and the conversation from the previous night, and after some vitamins and juice started to pack to head out. As we started packing, the the little boy we met the day before came into Dani's house and sat down with us. Unlike the USA, most kids are not given much attention as they are growing up, and it was clear with this little boy that he was enjoying our company and our attention. We started taking bags to the truck, and he was right there with us, taking the smaller bags out along side Jerry. So. Adorable. When we were all packed up, and had said all our good-byes, this little boy ran to Dani, who picked him up to wave us goodbye. It was heartbreaking. He looked at us, then brought his arm to his eyes and buried his face. He was truly sad to see us go. So sad he couldn't watch. Amazingly sweet. Painfully sad. But we had to go, so we swallowed the lumps in our throats and drove away.

We stopped briefly in Maun to check email, get postcards, get water, and get gas. Then onward to Gumare (goo-mar-aye).

The drive to Gumare was uneventful, and delightful. I kept looking over at Jerry, savoring the reality that I was sitting next to him. Then I would reach out and rub his shoulders...thrilled that he was close enough to touch. Sometimes it is really the little things that mean the world.

We arrived in Gumare without incident. Stopped at the petrol station for a fill up, and so Jerry could get a hamburger. Not just A hamburger....but the worlds worst hamburger. Truly. I got one just to try it out, but quickly handed it to Jerry to finish. He loves them because they are the closest hamburgers to his village, but oi....that does not mean they are good, or even edible, but desperate times........

Our venture to Gumare was solely to pick up Paula Kaye, another Peace Corps Volunteer who has spent the last two years working with with the local government. We arrived at her house to find her, and all the neighborhood dogs at home.

Paula is a gem. One of the things I was concerned about in regards to Jerry being in Botswana was that he wouldn't have anyone to help ground him. Paula removed that fear from me. It was so nice to just listen to them talk. So good to know that there are people here who love him just as much as we love him at home. I had seen that in Sarah, Pilar and Dani, but watching Jerry and Paula interact totally removed any worry I had left that Jerry was unappreciated. What a gift.

Another gift of being at Paula's was seeing on her wall the poster our friend Deanna made for World AIDS day. Surreal. It made the world seem very small for a moment....but in an amazingly comforting way.

We settled in for dinner. Jerry made some boil-in-the-packet Indian food, some rice, and chockalaka, which is a kind of Indian salsa that is all over Botswana. We had dinner, shared stories, planned our trip (as best we could), took baths, read trash mags and went to bed.

All in all it was a beautiful day.

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Photos

Bitter Sweet Little Boy
This is the boy that was so sad to see us leave that he had to hide his face in his arm when we left.

Worst. Burger. Eva!
Fer real.

Let's Talk About Sex....?
In front of our hut. Woah.

Going to the Dogs
This is Charlie. A very sweet, and unusually healthy little pup.

Termites
Termites
This is a termite mound. They are every where. Traditional healers tell pregnant women to eat the dirt of the termite mounds to keep their iron levels up. Thus starting Jerry and I saying "LICK IT" every time we saw one....which was often.

We Are the World
World AIDS day posters from Seronga, Seattle and Asheville, North Carolina. It truly is a small world after all.

True Love
Jerry and Paula on Paula's porch.