Shanah tovah!

Happy New Year to all my Jewish friends out there! I know it’s been a while since I last posted, but honestly, not all that much new has happened in the last week.

I went to Rosh Hashanah services at a local resident’s house, and that was quite lovely. Very low-key, and the food was delicious. I’ve included a picture below.

Another interesting update: as it turns out, I did not successfully join the U.B. Weightlifting Team, a club team that meets twice a week to practice. Instead, I currently belong to the Botswana National Weightlifting Team. So here I am, a tiny foreign girl lifting 25 kgs, and I’m representing the nation of Botswana in weightlifting. The situation would be pretty hilarious, if I weren’t so terrified for my first competition after the break.

Tomorrow, I’m heading to Cape Town in South Africa, the second African country I will have visited. I’ll be spending a week there for the mid-semester break. I can’t wait to explore the city, and I promise to record any and all exciting adventures! Until then, sala sentle!

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P.S. Just as a note—I know I haven’t discussed racial issues much, despite being a racial minority for the first time in my life. Recently, people have been asking me if I understand now what it’s like to be a Black American. The truth is, being a white person in Botswana is not at all the same as being Black in America. Even as a minority, I’m still intensely privileged. As a general example, my sociology class has discussed unfair hiring practices in Botswana, which often hire under-qualified white people over qualified Black ones. On a more personal level, I can get into any club I want, whenever. No matter how exclusive a place is, I have a guaranteed all-access pass thanks to the color of my skin. I don’t ever have to be worried about being thrown out, either: a member of my group recently stripped down and jumped into the (closed) pool at a club. While the bouncer did tell her to put her clothes back on, we weren’t kicked out or even forcibly reprimanded. I’m certain that this was because everyone standing by the pool was white.

Because of the color of my skin, people notice me wherever I go. They call me “lekgoa” (“English person”), and they ask me for money. I know I am more likely to be pickpocketed than the average Motswana. On the other hand, “lekgoa” does not have anywhere near as negative a connotation as the n-word in America. I don’t have to be worried about being arrested for my race, and discrimination tends to run in my favor. So no, I don’t understand what it’s like to be Black in America. I do understand what it’s like to stand out, but as one of the only Jews in a majority Catholic town, I’ve been exposed to the feeling before. Hope that clarifies things --Amanda

Maybe We’re Crazy: Our Week in Kanye (plus a little extra)

Last week, I was able to experience life in a Botswana village. There wasn’t much time to prepare. I baked a turtle-bread as a gift to my host family, and we hit the road in our private combi!

As a little context, “village” doesn’t mean the absolute middle of nowhere. There were at least six grocery stores and a strip mall in the town, but it was the kind of town where everyone seemed to know each other. (For my friends from university, just imagine Hamilton, New York). Here are pictures of the main street and of my homestay.

We spent the week observing at different clinics, where I learned an incredible amount.I worked in a screening room, and I learned how to perform antenatal exams. On Thursday, we took a day off from visiting clinics to visit the kgotla, the village’s central administration building, where we were able to witness several wedding registrations. Here are some pictures of the kgotla.

The most incredible part of the trip for me, however, was slightly off the beaten path. A group of us decided to go explore Kanye’s gorge and dam. The dam speaks for itself; here are a few pictures.

At the gorge, we began by following the path, and we were on the well-worn trail…until we weren’t. Somebody started climbing, and before we knew it, a full-scale adventure had begun. Unable to reach the first ledge, I kicked off my shoes and waded through the water, where I was able to climb the rocks and rejoin our group. Maybe we were crazy, exploring rock ledges in a foreign country, surrounded by monkeys and snakes. But together, we took on the gorge, and we were rewarded by an unbelievable view and a story.

On a slightly darker note—on Monday, we returned to U.B. Monday afternoon is when I usually have my parasitology lab, so I was ready at 3 PM with my fellow exchange students, blissfully ignorant in our lab coats. To our horror, the professor announced that instead of lab, we would be taking a 2.5-hour exam. He had informed all of the other, domestic students about this exam during the week, but he had made no mention of it when we had met with him before heading out to Kanye. (In fact, the professor had told us that he couldn’t provide us too many notes for the week, because people might think that he was favoring the foreign students.) The test, of course, was heavily focused on malaria, the subject our class had covered the week that my fellow exchange students and I had been away. As he distributed the exam, our professor called us out in front of the class. “Our American friends have been gone for a week,” he announced. “Let’s see if they’ve been keeping up with the reading.” When we attempted to protest, he told us that we had probably covered the material at “those American schools” anyway. An hour into the exam, I gave up and left. So that was my first exam in Botswana, and it was a doozy.

Today, thankfully, everything was back on track—or should I say, on bar? I joined the Weight-Lifting Team here at U.B., and after one practice, I am already unbelievably sore. Assuming I can stick it out, though, I’ll be as strong as Wonderwoman by the time I return to the States. Right now, I look a little out of place on the team. First, I’m the only female and the only white person there. Second, today all the guys were doing squats with 120 kg (265 lb) of added weight (not to mention a 20-kg barbell). Meanwhile, I was holding an empty, extra-light barbell, practicing the proper technique for snatches. Practice makes perfect, though, and I’m so glad that I have stepped out of my comfort zone enough to try something as new as this. When in Botswana, do as the bulked-up Batswana do, right?

In the next few weeks, I will continue to explore beyond my comfort zone. After all, here I am in Botswana, nearly 8,000 miles from home. Maybe I’m crazy for being here, but as long as I’m crazy, I plan to have the time of my life.

Until next time, sala sentle!