Final blog
Well coaching finished and the 5 hour journey from Francistown to Gaborone was a pretty much uneventful affair. The usual beeping of horns and dodging off swerving cars but this had now become a every day experience.
Lunch was once again laid on by the Chef at the Gaborone Oval who’s name still evades me but by the end of the trip was happily answering just to Chef.
After the hottest chicken Korma I have ever tasted it was a phone call to our ever faithful taxi driver to take the team along with there personal Assistant ( Shameelah ) to do a touch of shopping. I could get used to a taxi driver taking you to four or five different places and waiting ever time before dropping you home an hour and half later for the vast sum of £7.
A shower and change of clothes and it was off to the Gaborone Oval for final drinks and yes you guessed it …………….. Another curry . It was great to see all the people that had become part of our team over the past two weeks having some food and drinks together as well as sharing the stories of the past week in Francistown with the local people that had stayed behind in Gaborone.
As you may or may not know we were a team of four from the UK and were walking into the unknown. For this reason I really must personally thank a few people. Vusi was my number 2 for the first week. A 26 yer old coach that had I think been thrown in at the deep end. I think he aged about 10 years in the first week with schools letting him down left and right. Every morning he looked scared to death to have to tell me that once again the schools had pulled out at the last minute. I don’t think however many times I told him that he understood have much I appreciated his help in the first week. So Vusi if you are reading this then thank you from the bottom of my heart for what you did and if he can’t then maybe can pass on my thanks.
Dimpho …….what can I say a ( not sure on his exact age ) but large in life and not a small lad in size either. I was surprised after the first week that he still wanted to come with us to Francistown as to say he was laid back would be the biggest understatement of the decade. On a daily basis myself and Ali would be constantly trying to get him motivated and I am happy to say that come the second week he upped his game massively . A real genuine local lad that if he continues to coach will be a great asset to the BCA and CWB.
Gaone was a local volunteer that teaches cricket in her local schools. She was with us from day one and was a real asset especially when we had a a problem with the language barrier. At the end of the two weeks she had develop into a promising coach learning plenty from our ECB tutor Ali Goddard.
Clement. Coach and main man in Francistown. Thank you for everything you done After the stressful first week in Gaborone, the second was a breeze. Organised perfectly and ran like clockwork ( well almost). A smile that would lift you every morning and a true friend.
And last but no means least Shameelah……..
Well what can I say a young local girl with plenty of personality and former Botswana under 19’s girls cricket captain. From day one she was a rock for the team giving up all her time to not only help with the coaching and aiding Vusi with the organising but also to show us around while not coaching. Nothing was ever too much for her and she became a great friend to the whole team. Personally as a first time project leader it was just what the doctor ordered to help make my job a little easier. There were plenty of jokes and never a dull moment when she was around and I would just like to say from the bottom of my heart thank you for everything you did and look forward to catching up when you come to university in the UK next year.
Other people I would also like to thank is Faz ( Shameela’s dad) for everything you helped the team with. Anything we needed and was possible Faz was there to assist. Joseph Angara ( coach ) ,Tefo ( Driver ), Reggie ( our personal taxi driver ) Chef.
Well that was the team and after a couple of drinks a few of the team made their way to a local night club assisted by a certain person that for legal reasons can not be named. It was my second experience of a African club but an eye opener for the rest of the team. Midnight passed and it was time for bed with a long journey ahead the next morning.
Well there is not a lot more to say…………….
I sit here in Ethiopia airport during the 8 hour wait we have between flights thinking back over the last couple of weeks. Leaving my family to come to a strange country with three men that I had only met for two previously to teach cricket..Not knowing what to expect or what was about to happen.
A big thank you goes out to Nicholas Cliffe & Malcom Pressley-Smith. These two guys are first time volunteers and over the past two weeks have had a roller coaster of emotions and have given their last breathe for the team during the coaching sessions. Thank you guys the memories will stay with me forever and you never know we may meet again on future projects.
Just one more person
Ali Goddard ( “Gods” “Smurf” ) well what can I say. For those of you that don’t know Ali , he is a ECB Tutor and was our head coach for the trip. Ali is a friend of John Haines who was my room mate on the Kenya trip last year and john had e mailed me before I was coming away to say Ali was a good chap and I would be fine with him as my tutor.
Ali hit the ground running and I can honestly say I can’t believe how well he adapted to the ‘African’ coaching. I have heard of a few previous tutors struggling to come to terms with it. After seeing Fergs & Gellers have such a great relationship last year I could only hope that me & Ali would be able to do the same. Having a good tutor makes the job of a project leader so much easier and that is what Ali did. Without making his head any bigger (only joking mate) it was a pleasure to watch and be part of. The sessions ran as smooth as you could possibly want and nothing phased him. I would just like to say a massive thank you to Ali for all you done for not only me but also all the students and teachers that can now carry on coaching the children of Botswana. I think even when we were feeling down and missing home there would always be something to make us laugh and cheer us up. It would be my absolute pleasure if one day we were to pair up on a trip again.
Well that was Botswana Autumn 2015
Over 100 students & teachers trained as coaches
Over 1500 children coached and introduced to the A,B,C & T’ S
Plenty of laughs , lots of new friends, disappearing children, missing t-shirts, jalapeño poppers and a few Windhoek’s
All that is left is for me to get on flight ET700 back to Heathrow to meet Tracy and the kids. I have missed them so much over the last two weeks , at times it has been real hard but with the great team I had behind me there was always someone to lean on.
Thank you everyone
Vards