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!