Africa through the eyes of a 4 year old

At the restaurant

Willie turned four last Monday. We went out to dinner at a restaurant at one of the fancy malls, RiverWalk, but the gathering was more for a handful of Nancy's colleagues from I-TECH than for Willie's birthday. He was stunned, appearing on the verge of tears, when we all sang Happy Birthday to him as dessert arrived. His official party will be this Saturday and will be attended by the four friends he has made to date.  They include:

Ashley, who is the 6 year old son of Tendai and Monica, a taxi driver we often use and Willie's nanny most mornings. Tendai and Monica are from Zimbabwe, as are many people in Botswana (Zimbabweans supposedly outnumber Batswana - over 2 million Zims to 1.8 million Bats - due to the implosion caused by Mugabe's inept and corrupt leadership and the subsequent exodus of anyone with enough resources to leave). We actually do not see Ashley very often because he is in reception (the first year of primary school, similar to kindergarten). This morning Monica did not show up at the customary time, 8:30 AM, and soon after, I received a call from Nancy explaining that Ashley had been hit by a car and was in the hospital getting x-rays. Although we have not heard the full story, he is apparently OK and does not have any broken bones.

Ashley (hit by a car and only got a Band-aid!)

Yu is the 4 year old son of Seiji and Yuki, the Japanese family that lives behind the school. Yuki graciously spends four to five hours per week tutoring Elliot and Mitchell in Japanese. She refuses to accept payment for her services, claiming that she is not trained as a sensei, though Yuki and Seiji have agreed that the provision of accommodations for some future visit to Seattle is suitable compensation. Hopefully they will redeem this offer. Willie has gotten to know Yu through our visits to their house for the Japanese lessons, or I should say that Willie has gotten to know Yu through Yu's toys (we could only pack a token collection of toys due to the airline baggage weight restrictions), which he zeros in as soon as we step through their door. Yu is very sweet and speaks English reasonably well for a 4 year old. Seiji works for the Japanese embassy. They also have a 7 year old daughter, Ami, who is perpetually excited and wide-eyed. Mitchell ostensibly spends more time horsing around with Ami than improving his Japanese, but at least he is horsing around in Japanese.

Yu and Ami

Tafara is another Zimbabwean friend who is 5 years old and lives at the opposite end of our apartment complex. Finding Tafara has been a blessing for all, as he is also isolated at home all day with his mother, Ruth. Willie and Tafara have a great time romping around the grounds and splashing in the pool ("Tafara" means "we are happy" in Shona, after all). Tafara offers another collection of toys for Willie to consume.

Tafara and Willie

Ashley, Tafara, and Willie

Pitso ("Pete-so") is the 3 year old son of Jenny, an American colleague of Nancy's who is married to a Motswana man.  They live about one mile down the road beyond Choppies. Pitso and Willie have been having weekly playdates. Pitso has yet another collection of toys and two cats that look unlike any cat I have ever seen in the US; their markings are almost giraffe-like. Photo of Pitso's cats pending.

Willie and Pitso

Outside of Choppies

Having these four friends has been great for Willie, since he is not enrolled in any kind of daycare. When he is not with Monica, he is often surveying the city from his child seat on the back of my bike. He typically rides with me to drop Elliot and Mitchell off at school. We play for a while on the beautiful grounds of the school - complete with myriad creosoted wood play structures - and then head home to meet Monica, often trying new and longer routes. The more I bike through Gaborone, the better sense I get of its prevailing traffic paradigm. My initial impression was that biking around the city would be fairly risky because bike facilities (e.g. bike lanes, paths, or signed routes) are virtually nonexistent, few people bike, and drivers are ignorant and unconcerned about bicycles. However, over time I have found that most drivers in Gabs are actually quite competent, maintaining their lane position and often courteously yielding to us at intersections.  Having two other kids on bikes in formation and a small child on the back probably helps, but I am also generally treated well when I am on my own. There are certainly the handful of crackpots that blast through stop signs and demonstrate general disregard for any human life beyond their own, but these outliers exist in Seattle as well. Ironically, one of the greatest dangers is that many drivers are so amused and agape at Willie perched behind me in his little seat that they don't watch where they are going!  Most have never seen such a set up. Passengers in passing vehicles will often point and wave while laughing with joy at the sight of us, as if we are an circus act that inadvertently rode out of the bigtop. Willie also shouts out "Dumela Rra/Mma!" (Hello sir/maam) as we pedal past pedestrians, which always elicits grins.

Our wheels!

Yesterday we went on a fantastic four mile ride down to one of the malls to get a few items for his birthday party. There is a store called Woolworth's (no relation, I think) that sells an odd melange of chic clothes, household items, and overpriced gourmet groceries. We bumped into Yu and Yuki san, who offered to take my giant backpack full of groceries and Willie back to the apartment so that I (and the rims of my bike) would not collapse in the 90 degree heat on the return trip. Gaborone has a population of just over 200,000 people - rather small for a major capital city - and with a relatively small group of expatriates who frequent common destinations, we always seem to bump into somebody we know.

When priming Willie before we left Seattle, I was explaining to him that many things would be different in Africa. For example, I told him that it would be much hotter than it was in Seattle and that most people would have black skin. He looked at me earnestly and asked, "Will our skin turn black?"  "No," I replied, "although it may darken slightly from the strong sun." Then, last week he told Monica that she should come to Seattle with him so that her skin could turn white! I am not sure how much of this experience he will remember in a few years, but it has been awesome witnessing him taking it all in and interacting with people.  As a third child, he relishes all the attention he can get...

Willie likes to chew on his shirt (nice stainless steel Botts dots!)

Safari boy at the rhino sanctuary

Sidney shows Willie a tortoise at the rhino sanctuary

The trip back from the rhino sanctuary (click photo to see drool on chin)

Defying gravity at the playground (not Wallingford!)

Motswana boy