Be careful What You Say

Maun is still classified as a village even though it is growing rapidly. After getting slightly involved in the community, it becomes clear that Maun still acts like a village in many ways. Everyone seems to hear and see and know about everyone else. <br/> <br/>

I grew up in a relatively small town, but it was imbedded in a densely populated area, so it never felt like a small town. In Maun, I understand what it’s like to have all eyes staring at you. Everyone in the ex-pat (white) community knows Sara or Sven, the girl I came to work with and her fiancé, and everyone in the local (black) community knows Tshidi or Ndimi, the Batswana family that I’m living with. It definitely makes you watch what you say, wear, and do. <br/><br/>

I don’t usually see people I know in town, but apparently everyone sees me. Often people say that they saw me walking through old mall or around the grocery store or somewhere else. Earlier last month Tshepo asked me out of the blue one day what I am using “that net thing” for. I honestly didn’t know what she was talking about. She explained that she had seen me walking around town with my butterfly a few days before. <br/><br/>

Today took the cake with two incidents. First, one of the kids at the daycare said that he had seen me at the store. I wish I had seen him too. Later I was introduced to an ex-pat. She seemed to already know who I was. “Oh, I saw you around The Old Bridge” – I have only been twice, and that was 2 weeks ago. <br/> <br/>

Today we took the kids on a field trip. As we trouped done the side of the road, each with two kids in tow, it was hard not to think “well, now everyone in town knows that the daycare went on a field trip!”