Botswana is nearly 8,000 miles from Broadalbin-Perth. In the summer, the heat regularly tops 100 degrees Fahrenheit. In the winter, it never snows. And the seasons there happen opposite of ours. But for the past two years, 2014 B-P graduate Emily Spraggs has made her home in Botswana, volunteering with the Peace Corps teaching health education in a village in the north-central region of the country.
Spraggs is back in B-P for a few weeks, and during that time she is visiting with classes to talk about her experiences in Botswana and showing students that despite all the differences, we are still very much the same.
Spraggs spoke with two 3rd grade classes in Ms. Caughey’s room, sharing her experiences and answering student questions. She dispelled some myths about living in Africa, including that all houses are made of mud. Spraggs also showed students pictures from the village where she works, which featured elephants and lions from the national park nearby. Students also learned about how the school system in Botswana works. She also taught the students some games that children in Botswana play, and taught them a few common phrases in Tswana, the language spoken most commonly in the area of Botswana where she worked.
“It means so much to be back here,” said Spraggs. “In Botswana, I was working in a primary school, so it was nice to come back to my primary school and see how things have changed and be where things started for me.”
When Spraggs heads back to Botswana, she will be working in a different environment than the rural one that has been her home for the past two years. For the next year, she will be working in a clinic in Gaborone, Botswana, the country’s capital city.