Opening Page

Hello, and welcome to the first ever AdaminAfrica2009 blogpage!  

Yes, it is true that Adam is in Africa although some Darwin fanatics and science enthusiasts would argue that they knew it all along.   But I am not talking about “thee” Adam and I am not here to open a discussion about the origins of man; I am here to tell you, if you didn’t already know, that I, namely Adam William Bohach, am living in Africa.

 On July 21, 2007 I arrived in South Africa and began my 2 year term as a United States Peace Corps Volunteer (PCV).  I spent the first 2 months of my service in a village called Motswedi, located in the NorthWest Province of South Africa.  There I trained alongside +/- 90 other United States PCVs learning about the language and culture of the region, namely the Batswana culture and their language, SeTswana. 

 Since that time I have been residing as the lone white man or “lekgoa” in a small village called Brooksby, also located in the NorthWest Province.  Here I stay with the Mapanyane family, living in a small dorm size room located just behind the house.  The village contains about 3,000 people and is very agricultural.  Coming from the State of Iowa and being raised around the culture of farming, this was a welcoming feature of my new home. 

 Most of my days I spend at the local primary school.  Here I work alongside five teachers, a principal, an administrative assistant, and two other South African volunteers.  We make a good team and I enjoy being their colleague.  During this present academic year of 2008, I am teaching grades 4-7 in Arts and Culture and grades 5 and 7 in English and assisting in any way I can at school and in the community. 

 I am enjoying all the new challenges in my life and learning something new everyday.  Already nearly 9 months have passed by and still so much needs to be done.  In the remaining months of my service I hope that you will follow along with me with this new blog, AdaminAfrica2009, and share this adventure with me. So long for now.   

Cheers,

 Adam Bohach

SA-16 US Peace Corps