Gone for a Week

Dumelang! Just as a heads-up, as of tomorrow, I will be gone for the week in Kanye, a nearby village, and I am not expecting to have Internet access for the week. I will post again after I'm back! Sala sentle!

Bahurutse and Mokolodi

This weekend was AMAZING. I will try to describe it as best as I can, but words can’t possibly do it justice.

On Saturday, we went to the Bahurutse Cultural Village, and we learned about the culture of the people with the Baboon totem. We also hiked in the unbelievably gorgeous Mmamotshwane Gorge. One of the trip leaders and I climbed all the way to the top of one of the crags and enjoyed the glorious views. While we were up there, though, the truck left without us! We ended up having to walk back along the trail until we could get cell service and call the truck to pick us up, but the walk was absolutely breathtaking. That night, we heard a beautiful choral concert back at the Village, and we slept in the huts you can see below.

 

The next day, we visited Mokolodi Nature Reserve. We had a great time playing on the playground, and then we went for a game drive, where I saw my first ever rhinos, giraffes, warthogs, kudu, and impala! Here are a few pictures. (My personal favorite was the baby rhino).

Finally, we relaxed by one of the first bodies of water we’ve seen in Botswana. The view was beautiful, and it was the perfect end to our trip.

 

Next week, we’ll be doing more traveling as we head to the village of Kanye to learn about rural area clinics. Until then, sala sentle!

Living in the Bots

Our water shut off on Saturday. On Monday, the Internet died. On Tuesday, we had a full-blown power outage—even our backup generator failed. As I was sitting alone in the dark, switching my non-smart Botswana phone on and off, I finally allowed myself to think it: What on Earth am I doing here? I could be anywhere in the world. I could be back at my picturesque, bucolic liberal arts college. I could be sipping French wine in Dijon or munching on bangers and mash in London. How did I end up here, nearly 8,000 miles from home, exploring a completely unknown culture? As you know, I’m not much for pictures, but I hope these pictures give a little insight into my daily life.

It’s more than the pretty scenery, though. I love the way the cowbells sound in the street. I love the way bougainvillea trees look when we fly past them on a charging combi. I love that the people are friendly, that nobody has ever refused my request for directions, and that my classes are fascinating.

To be unabashedly cliché, traveling can be hard. I’ve had to learn how to bathe from a bucket, and I’ve grown used to the idea of limited Internet. I’ve learned to accept that a conversation with a man will often end with him asking for my number, asking me out, or asking for marriage. I’m frequently asked to speak for my entire nation, or even my entire race. But I’ve also learned that the preschoolers I work with love to hold my light-skinned hands, that professors really enjoy hearing foreign perspectives, and that I may be able to make a difference to a small number of people during my short time here. (Please note: the last is a thinly veiled request for contributions to my campaign for the Botswana Retired Nurses Society at gofundme.com/bornus.)

The Internet came back on in my homestay today. But honestly, I think I could have lived a few more days without it. (Just a few. I’m not Superwoman here.)

An Amazing Weekend

Thankfully, I only have one class on Fridays. Unfortunately, that class is at 7am, so I have to wake up at 5:30 in order to make it on time (by public transportation, it takes 40 minutes to get to the university from my homestay). After my class, I started working with the 5-6 year olds in the daycare center at BORNUS! Although they speak very little English, they were delighted to see me. Each student came forward and introduced him/herself, using the following format:

“Hello, everybody. [wave] My name is ________. I am ____ years old. I am a [girl/boy]. When I grow up, I want to be a ______ to do ______.”

I am convinced that none of the students had any idea what he or she was saying, especially since the teachers would prompt each student on his/her intended career. One of the students wanted to be an economist so that she could “help Botswana compete in the world markets.” Other students wanted to be social workers, accountants, or lawyers, all careers that were definitely not on my radar at age 5. During “singing time,” all the students sang “Baa Baa Black Sheep” and other English nursery rhymes, although, once again, I doubt that they understood the songs. “Have you any wool?” quickly degenerated into “halalala wool,” which was actually pretty adorable.

I also met a fellow American at BORNUS, an elderly Peace Corps volunteer. I was shocked by how grateful I was to meet another American out there in Tlokweng. While most people speak English, typical Botswana English is heavily accented, and I often have trouble understanding.

That evening, I had another taste of home when I attended Shabbat services for the first time since arriving in Botswana. There are maybe eight Jews in the entire country, and all showed up around Avner and Nurit’s table. (We had a good laugh about what the Botswana version of JDate would look like.) Since it was Shabbat, I didn’t bring my camera, but you can find pictures of the home online at https://jewishphotolibrary.smugmug.com/AFRICA/AFRICASouth/BOTSWANA. The service and dinner were lovely, and it was so comforting to know that some traditions are the same around the world.

Last night, I explored Botswana nightlife at Absolut Lounge, a local nightclub, with some of the other international students from U.B.. The music wasn’t great, but it was great getting to meet students from around the world who, like me, had somehow wound up in Gaborone, Botswana! I’m looking forward to exploring more of the city with them soon. Until next time, sala sentle!

P.S. These pictures were taken at Absolut during the Amazing Race, not last night. I’m really not much of a photographer; I often forget to bring my camera places.

Hi all! As I mentioned earlier, I'm helping out at BORNUS this semester. Right now, they can't even afford a new toilet for their offices, much less afford to keep their website. Every little bit helps, so please consider supporting their cause! I hope to raise $500 in the next few months, so I can help them get their website up and running by late October. The link is below, and every little bit helps!
 

A Taste of Home

Saturday was our Welcome Braai (braai = barbeque/potluck combination)! Each homestay student was required to bring foods that were traditional to our culture. I baked an apple crisp and two loaves of challah, and they came out very well, if I do say so myself.  

To get the ingredients, my homestay mother and I went shopping at the local Pick & Pay. To my surprise, the store was structured almost identically to any grocery store back home, down to the candies next to the check-out! Some of the spellings were a little different, though, as you can see from the picture.

 

Today was my real first day of classes. I worked from 7:30-noon in a diabetes clinic, where I measured people’s heights and observed the doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and lab technicians at work. The people were wonderfully friendly, and the clinic was very efficient. A visit only cost 5 pula ($0.50), and all medications were completely free! Apparently these clinics are heavily subsidized by the government. I was really glad to visit, and I’ll be returning next week to learn more. Here is a picture of my fellow clinic observer and I, along with two of the nurses.

I also had Setswana, Community Public Health, and Parasitology for the first time today. My Parasitology prof is hilarious, and I can’t wait for the rest of the class. Unfortunately, I have my first homework assignments now, though. Have a great week, and sala sentle!

A Little Explication: First Week at U.B.

Every so often at U.B., I think of the Princeton Review rankings for “School Runs Like Butter.” If there were a category for, “School Runs Like Treacle Left Outside for Three Days,” U.B. would claim that category hands-down. Apparently only naïve first-years and exchange students bother showing up during the first week of class, which the school sometimes just cancels altogether. I missed this week because I’ve been sick, but none of my classes actually occurred for one or more of the following reasons:

1. The professor didn’t show up.
2. The students didn’t show up.
3. No room number was ever assigned for the class.
4. The room number that was assigned for the class didn’t actually exist.
5. Another class was scheduled to take place in the same room, at the same time. My professor backed down first.
6. Power outages = everyone leaves (students and professors alike), regardless of whether they have class or not

Like elsewhere in Gaborone, the power and running water cut out for several hours at a time, and the only things that still work at U.B. are the elevators. (It’s been interesting to see where people’s priorities lie based on what their back-up generators power. At my homestay, the lights and the TV still work during power outages, even though everything else cuts out, including the refrigerator and freezer.)

Another odd feature of the university—you can’t carry bags into the library. This sounds easy enough, but when you’re studying, it can be very frustrating. I have to scoop everything out of my backpack and carry it in my arms, only to drop it all at the table closest to the bag check.

Last, and this applies to Gaborone/Botswana in general, there are two types of outlets that are used. Appliances will either have the round South African prongs or the rectangular British ones, and outlets vary by location, even within the university. Nearly every Motswana household seems to have round-to-square and square-to-round converters.

For right now, I am so grateful for the strangeness of this week, though. I won’t have missed anything in any of my classes, and I have signed up for a gym membership and been accepted as a volunteer at a local organization (Botswana Retired Nurses Society, or BoRNuS) in the meantime. Hopefully, everything will go as planned next week! Until then, sala sentle!

P.S. Fun fact of the week: In the TV adaptation of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, Mma Ramotswe and Mma Makutsi were both played by American actresses.

Sorry folks, no pics today

After being sick for a few days, I went to the doctor today. Turns out I have bronchitis. So I've missed the first few days of class, but I'm hoping I'll be able to go back tomorrow. Man, do they prescribe a lot of medications here, though! Not sure if this is a Botswana thing in general, or just the clinic where I went, but I came out with a bottle of cough syrup, two different antihistamines, and an antibiotic for if the bronchitis doesn't clear up in the next few days. I have a whole goody bag full of medications. Anyway, I hope to have more interesting things to report in the next few days. Until then, sala sentle!

Uniquely Gabs

Now that I’ve been here almost a week, I’ve finally begun to notice some of the things that make Gaborone so unique. There are regularly cats, dogs, cows, chickens, and goats in the streets; today a goat herd was standing on the sidewalk next to U.B. while one of the goats pressed its front legs against the chain-link fence. A few days ago, my homestay sister Rati sent me to chase a chicken out of the yard. She manned the automatic gate while I waved a broom and shooed it out of doors. I don’t have pictures of the event, but I do have pictures of our neighborhood (yes, that is a cow down the street) and of Rati in front of the house.

Another, less fortunate feature of Gaborone is the high prevalence of theft. Yesterday, I was “held up” for five pula (approx. $0.50). After I got out of the combi (the public van that I take to school), two of my neighbors came up to me and told me to give them money for cigarettes or they wouldn’t let me pass. Apparently they hadn’t realized I was standing in front of my house. I just ignored them and went inside, but when I told my host father, he came out and scolded them in Setswana. It’s gonna be an awkward next few months, since I see those guys sitting outside their house almost every day. Still, attempting to hold me up for only five pula was really pretty generous of them.

To enjoy the happier side of Gaborone, we have had cultural lessons in music and dance, as well as a tour of the city in the style of the Amazing Race, a TV show. Here are some pictures:

Top left: a marimba demonstration; top right: view from Kgale Hill; bottom left: posing with a combi during the Amazing Race; bottom right street near the University

After an exhausting week of orientation activities, I love coming home in the evenings to my host family. Rati and I get along really well. In the past week, we have discussed everything from cultural differences to hair products. Both of us have a habit of “blabbing,” as Rati calls it, so the evenings have been very congenial. Next week, we’ll start classes, so I’ll have to see how things turn out then. She’s taking the standard third-year law courses (almost all courses are predetermined if you are doing a standard four-year program at U.B.), while I will be taking the following:

• Parasitology for Health Sciences
• Basic Toxicology
• Public Health Issues in Botswana
• Introductory Setswana
• Social Problems in Southern Africa

I will also be working 4.5 hours per week at various local clinics, and I’m hoping to volunteer with a local organization, although I’m still waiting to hear back from the coordinator. I’m surprised to be saying this, but I can’t wait for classes to start! Until then, sala sentle!