Day 10 Gaberone Schools - Bosele/Boitumelo

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Cricket Without Bulbs

Hi everyone, it’s the Reeves duo. Just before we venture to the Wednesday happenings, let’s recap on the Tuesday evening. Watching the Zimbabwe - Sri Lanka game started like always with a few glasses of red and curry. The difference came when the lights went and didn’t come on. Even our technically skilled Mark had to admit that this time it’s the dead end. While the grounds man tried to fix it (no success), Mike, the commentator blamed it all on The Meerkat Electrics. However, before the failure he kept calling the far end as the ‘faulty generator end’ - could he have jinxed it?

One of our trainee coaches from last week, Obert, became a lucky owner of the large cricket holdall that we brought with us. He had been a great help and also qualified as a coach on Friday. In return he presented our leader with some bible booklets with a personal dedication. That left Will lost for words - for a change!!!
After we decided that watching an empty cricket ground in pitch black was not very exciting, we took off to the Gaborone Sun’s Casino.

What could be described as the shortest gambling session ever highlighted the fact that charity workers on the budget should not try their luck. While Miss France chose red on the roulette (I would like to point out that me, the hydration goddess, suggested black), we lost all of our own 24 quid. One of the very few lucky people was my co-writer Mike, who managed to win 55 pounds on Black Jack. Well done.

Mike G found his toughest audience so far - in Ravi. Apparently there have been a robbery at the police station and somebody stole all the toilet seats. The investigation has been held and it has been reported that there is nothing to go on… Ravi’s dead pan response was ‘that doesn’t really matter as there is a hotel next to the station’. It doesn’t get tougher than that.

On Wednesday we had the last day at Notwane school. All our students qualified as coaches and gave us again a very emotional send off. Virginia, one of the new, ‘fresh’ coaches gave us all bracelets when we came back to the staff room. The deputy head of the school and the sports teacher lead the singing and we got a chance to rehearse the beautiful hymn that the girls taught us. Then, to our complete horror, the chaplain asked V & V to lead the prayer. A rabbit caught in the headlights couldn’t look more terrified. In the end one of the teachers saved us and lead the prayer.

In the afternoon we arrived at the Bosele primary school, where we were greeted with a fabulous dancing and singing from the pupils.
We had 48 kids and even more spectators! The atmosphere was almost as good as at the proper grown up cricket ground when India is playing!!
The other half of the team went to Boitumelo school where they coached 33. As you can see from Mark’s update, the numbers are rising.
In the afternoon we had a pretty good meeting with BONASO (Botswana Network of Aids Service Organisations). Although it’s late for this year, we hope that they will like to link with CWB for the years coming.

Well, yet another day in the office, sun, cricket, burnt ears (that’s me), more photos, sweaty Combi and more sun. Hope you are enjoying our blog - it won’t last forever!
Veronika (mostly interfered and dictated by Mike R)

PS: if you come to Botswana with your traveler’s cheques, make sure that you bring the receipt with you! You know, the one that they ask you to keep safe and apart from the cheque. Mike G found out that you can hit a wall called ‘local policy’. Despite Will’s suggestion (probably learned from our own French money launderer) that he should report his cheques stolen and ask for new ones, Mike persevered and is in possession of money as we write this! Well negotiated.

Veronika & Mike

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