Letters from Botswana: A Peace Corps Odyssey

By Dawn Khalil

Would you ever quit your job, sell everything and volunteer to disappear into the heart of the Kalahari for a few years?

Turning thirty, Dawn lands in Ghanzi, Botswana – a “burp of a town” without telephones, vegetables or paved roads. Her job? Recruit local entrepreneurs from tribal settlements, some unfamiliar with the concept of money.

A humorous compilation of actual letters written to her family, Letters From Botswana reveals Dawn's transformation from an excited, idealistic volunteer into a pragmatic remote industrial officer who gradually lets go of her Silicon Valley expectations to embrace the slow pace of the Kalahari.

These frank and unpolished letters let readers become a part of Dawn’s extended family: experience the Peace Corps and Southern Africa with her; discover the challenges of living without hot water and working among several tribal languages; and feel the heartache of missing enormous family changes at home.

Sample Letter | About Dawn | Pictures | Order Book