Picture and Notes 5

Laurel had arrived and one of the daughters of the family came to the airport to greet her and welcome her to Botswana.

TB

While I was walking home yesterday from the grocery store a man stopped me who looked familiar. He reminded me that he had met me with Tom a couple of weeks ago. At that time, I recalled, Tom had said that he didn’t like the sound of the man’s cough and that he should get it checked for TB. The man said that he had done that, that it was TB and that he was now taking the treatment. He wanted me to tell Tom who was very pleased when I told him.

Security

For a basically peaceful society, Botswana has a great deal of security. Almost every shop employs at least two security people. One is outside the store and holds any bags that one is carrying. The other stands at the door and, as you leave, checks your cashier’s tape against what is in your bag and then initializes it. This prevents you from walking out with a bag of stolen graceries and a fake tape. You can see that the local grocery store, Choppies, has 2 security people (in red shirts) checking as customers come out.

Traditional House

There are still many old style huts made of mud and poles with loose thatch, but even in the one pictured here, the traditional thorn or rubber hedge has been replaced with a wire fence. I wondered if the loss of privacy is a concern to anyone. In our courtyard we cannot see our neighbours. The rubber hedge is great in drought and even goats can’t stand its bitter sap.