Blogmas; Family Edition

Hey Sunsets 

So I decided to come home these holidays after two years of spending them alone, not that I'm complaining. It could be because I spent the last two Christmases alone or because I'm spending this one with my family, but I'm not complaining, the former or the latter. I'm just okay with both of them, I'm not really ecstatic but I'm just content.

CHRISTMAS EVE

Where do I even start? I'm always asking this question I'm sure you're already fed up, should I apologise? Okay, I'm not going to because I did nothing wrong. Let me just take it from the Christmas Eve night, where we're sitting outside and just catching up. We're not really catching up, I don't know how to put it or call it but they're talking about stuff I didn't know and I'm doing the same. We're reciprocating energies, catching up on family drama, or should I call it a crisis? Off the record, we're really famous in this village, like famous famous we're even talk of the village. What we're currently famous for is something that I can never talk about, unfortunately!

Anyway, I'm with my grandmother's children, she birthed six of them, one is not with us, not that he's dead or anything, no! He's very much alive, just that he's working, he stays in Jwaneng. Why are we talking about my absent uncle again? Oh, we were touching base, I forgot, I'm sorry. I'm old enough to sit in and listen to family gossip, I'm even allowed to ask questions just so I can catch up, because I've been off the loop almost my entire life. We're talking, about everything, this and that, obviously there's the main issue at hand, but we're just talking, like a normal family would.

It's hot by the way, that's why we're sitting outside, we're lying on a maize meal sack rugs, others are sitting on chairs, those with strong backs, but I have a weak back, so I'm lying down. Like I said, it is hot, even the ground is flaming, I'm lying on my back but it's as if I'm lying on hot coal. When talks are over and we can only laugh about nothings, my uncles take a quick bath so they can go to a village bar for drinking, honestly I don't know where they'll be going, so I run with the safest thought "village bar". The ladies, my two aunts and mum also leave, to the village bar, that's what they tell us so we have to believe them, we "me and my grandmother". 

Everybody leaves, so it's just me and MmaPat and their kids, their (my aunts and mum), we're sleeping outside, we'll go inside the house around two in the morning, when it has cooled down. It's hot, our house has no ceiling or any air conditioning system, it's just corrugated iron, you can only just imagine. But the kids endure the heat, they're in the house playing video games, their rich cousin who is also my cousin brought his PlayStation, or is it X box, I don't know, I couldn't care less...

Our house that is always hot

CHRISTMAS DAY

Before we go anywhere far, can we talk about how my family is very patriarchal! No, about how MmaPat is very patriarchal! Males literally do nothing in this household, females wake up early and do everything. 

Look at my Uncle living his best life while we woke up at 6am

Anyway, I sleep with MmaPat in her room, yes I'm Beyonce of the family, I who reign supreme, amongst everyone, I mean it's not everyday that MmaPat agrees to share a bed with anyone, even her kids, she gave birth to. There's a catch though, sleeping in grandma's room, there is a catch, you can't sleep until whatever time you want, you have to wake up early, deadline is eight am, it's worth it though. Plus I have to make her bed every morning and clean her room, and bath twice a day, she doesn't want me dirtying her blankets, am I not tired??? Please send help.

It's Christmas day, and I woke up early, well not earlier than everyone, my aunts woke up earlier and their girl MmaPat. At this time I'm taking photos for my blog, I'm capturing the mood, I'll insert them below. My aunts and their kids are slaving their lives away, while me, the lazy girl is doing absolutely nothing and not feeling guilty about it. Because I know my worth, I can never agree to cook using firewood, outside, in this heat, do you know how hot it is!!! I'm sure temperatures are above forty, the wind carries hot air, there's no how you can escape this heat. Anyway, we had our lunch, it wasn't Christmasy, phaleche le serobe sa podi (maize meal and goat intestines). 

We're sitting under a tree, washing down with homemade ginger, with my grandma's kids cousins, the rich cousins, they have money, drives expensive cars. We're having fun, living in the moment, talking about this and that. The kids, my cousins change into their Christmas clothes and go to a football game. Football games are our tradition, as Batswapong, every festive we have tournaments, and we go watch. It doesn't necessarily mean everyone loves football or support it, matches are just sources of entertainment, where we have fun and reunite with old mates and drink. I've stopped going when I got to senior school, for a lot of reasons, mainly because I'm socially awkward in familiar spaces, and it's hot plus I usually had no Christmas clothes, so I stopped going.

But this time around my aunt, my paternal uncle's wife invited me to go with her, ko mabaleng (football grounds). Not in our village though, but hers, in Ratholo, eight kilometres from my village which is Majwaneng. For the first time in six years I agreed to go, ko mabaleng. And it's just okay, I know no one there, but I'm content, I'm okay with everything.

There you have it Sunsets, my Christmas, spent with family, it was not bad at all, it was different, from all the Christmases from the previous years, but it was just okay. I think this was the last Christmas I spent home, from now on I'll be catching flights and flying.

Soft porridge for breakfast

We slaughtered a goat for festive 

My little brother slaving his life away, making bread dough

Ginger beer, a family tradition 

Ko Mabaleng

Thank you for coming by and Happy New Year 

Love and Light