This last week I've been studying Setswana as much as I can. One of the resources I've used is on Youtube. It is lessons given by two of the language teachers, Tonic and Meshack, at the Peace Corps training center in Kanye, Botswana where I will be spending eight hours a day for the next two months. There are eighteen videos, and in one of them, Tonic interviews personnel at the center. I thought you might enjoy seeing some of the people I will be interacting with, as well as getting to hear a bit of the language. Don't worry, it is translated in subtitles. Here is the link.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYtF9VJ7vqM&feature=share&list=ULyYtF9VJ7vqM
My second recommendation is a book I have been reading, Saturday is for Funerals, by Unity Dow. Unity Dow was the first woman judge of the Botswana High Court. She announced earlier this summer that she intends to run for Parliament in the next election. This book is written in conjunction with Max Essex who is Lasker Professor of Health Sciences at Harvard University. This book is a rare combination of stories that reveal the unique culture of Botswana and how it has been effected by the AIDS epidemic and fascinating technical information about the treatment of AIDS and its progression in Botswana. If you want to know what issues I will be encountering, this is the ideal book to read. It is still contemporary, having been published in 2009. Unfortunately, you cannot download this book to a reader, you have to purchase a hard copy somewhere. I got mine from Barnes and Noble. You can also order it from Amazon. I am sure your local library would like to find it for you as well. I intend to leave my copy here for Jim to read, but I definitely want another when I get to Botswana.
No comments:
Post a Comment