04 2 / 2012
fell pregnant
Thursday December 22nd
When people say a woman has gotten pregnant in Botswana they say, “She fell pregnant”.
I don’t know why this is so funny to me, but I just imagine a girl literally falling over and then as she gets up to brush the dust from her skirt, suddenly noticing a huge pregnant belly. Like she couldn’t help it, and doesn’t know how it got there.
This phrase just makes it seem accidental, or sinister. Of course, just like anywhere, pregnancies can be planned and unplanned here in Botswana. I give out 400 condoms every week at the clinic, so I know family planning is possible, if not actually happening.
