What Now?

I have now been back in Kansas for almost a week. I have visited with family, readjusted my sleeping schedule, eaten my favorite American foods, and am slowly transitioning back to life in the U.S. And a transition it is.

After any life changing experience, transitions and periods of adjustment are a necessary and vital part of the growth process. The time I spent in Africa was undoubtedly a life changing experience that has and will continue to impact my life.

Already, I have been asked, “What now?” Hmm – good question. What happens now after living for 10 weeks in a foreign country that became home to me? What happens now after loving those beautiful children and my students, forming relationships with them, and then having to leave? What happens now that I am back in the U.S., where the every day “problems” don’t really seem like problems to me anymore? All of these are valid questions that I am left to ponder and to explore and this questioning is part of the growing process. It’s all part of taking what I experienced this summer and applying it to how I choose to live my life back here in the U.S.

Will I go back to Africa? I don’t know. If you had asked me a year ago, I would never have guessed that I would have spent my summer serving in Africa. But I did. And I loved it immensely! I didn’t expect to have been led to Africa and I don’t know where I will be led to in the future, but I like to think that I will openly accept wherever it is---whether it is a remote village in Africa or a remote town in Kansas.

In Cape Town, during my last few days in Africa, I sat in a coffee shop, reading the newspaper. In the paper, there was a quote that stuck with me, as it seems to answer the “What now” question that I don’t have the exact answer to yet. Archbishop Desmond Tutu, a 1984 Nobel Peace Prize Laureate, said:

“Do your little bit of good where you are – it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”

Fun in Cape Town

Our 10-week program entitled us to 2 weeks of traveling and after taking two weekend trips, we still had a week left to experience Africa as a traveler! Cape Town had a lot to offer in our short week there, so here’s a forewarning that this blog is a bit lengthy! We left Monday morning at 6am to catch a 7-hour bus to Johannesburg, South Africa. From there, we boarded another bus for Cape Town. Estimated travel time – 20 hours. Quite the amount of time on a bus, but it was overnight and the seats reclined to a comfortable position, so much of that time was spent dreaming! The rest of the time we had a beautiful landscape to keep us entertained. Gorgeous mountains, some even snow-capped, blue skies, and plenty of vineyards to see during the ride.

We arrived in Cape Town on Tuesday afternoon. We spent the rest of the afternoon settling into the backpackers, walking around the downtown area, and just relaxing after the long bus ride. Wednesday was a rainy day and we spent much of it inside an aquarium checking out the marine wildlife.

Thursday we rented a car, which was the most economical way to travel, and Jack drove us out to the nearby vineyards in the country. In Africa, drivers sit on the right side of the car and drive on the left-hand side of the road, which is opposite of that in America. It was a bit awkward, but Jack got us everywhere we needed to be safely! We spent the day traveling around to vineyards, tasting wines unique to each vineyard. I never knew that just the type of grapes used, the type of wood used for the barrel, and the amount of time allowed for fermentation could produce so many different tastes of wine! We also toured a brandy distillery and learned about the distillation and fermentation process associated with producing brandy. Driving through the countryside with vineyards all around us, I had to remind myself that we were still in Africa! It had a very European feel to it!

Friday we rented another car for the day to explore Simon’s Town and Cape Point. Simon’s Town is home to the legendary Jackass Penguins. These penguins received their name because the sounds they make sound like donkeys! There were so many penguins everywhere and we were even able to chase a few around on the beach!

We traveled further south until we made it to Cape Point. We hiked out to the furthest point accessible to tourists and yet again were given a beautiful sight of the ocean surrounding us. We also went to Cape of Good Hope and ate lunch on the beach there. We drove back home along the coast, stopping to watch some surfers catch some waves and even rolled up our jeans to play in the quite frigid ocean!

What a breathtaking view!

Saturday morning we shopped around the local craft market and spent the afternoon soaking up some history at Robben Island. Robben Island is an island right off the coast where political prisoners were kept in seclusion and forced to do hard labor during the apartheid. Nelson Mandela was probably the most well known prisoner and lived there for 18 years of his life. In 1991, all political prisoners were freed and the island became a historical site in 1995. Our tour guide was a former political prisoner who gave us firsthand experiences! It was so interesting to tour such a big part of South Africa's history that affected the entire continent.

Sunday we packed up 10-weeks worth of living and boarded our last bus for the summer! We arrived back in Johannesburg on Monday afternoon and boarded the plane at 11:30 that night for Amsterdam. The 10-hour flight went by fast since we slept for the majority of it! We arrived in Amsterdam at 10am and were supposed to immediately board our next plane for the 11:45am flight to Detroit. However, we were informed that our flight was delayed until 3pm. 3pm came and our plane was not at the terminal yet, so we waited some more. Finally, at about 4ish we boarded the plane. We were taxiing to the runway, when a flight attendant asked over the intercom if a doctor was on board! A passenger was having a medical emergency! Thankfully, there was a doctor on board and the woman’s health stabilized. She decided, though, not to take the 8-hour flight across the ocean so we headed back to the terminal to let her get off the plane. After filling out paperwork and re-supplying the medical equipment used, the flight crew’s time had expired by FAA standards for an international flight! The new departure time was 9 o’clock the next morning! We then had to get off the plane that we had all been anxiously waiting for since that morning! But, the airline did put us in a 4-star hotel with great food, a hot shower, and a comfortable bed. While it did delay our arrival home, it was nice to get a shower and a bed for the night!

The plane left the next morning without a hitch, thank goodness, and we arrived in Detroit around noon on Wednesday. Though I had been on a 20-hour bus ride to Johannesburg, a 10-hour flight to Amsterdam, and an 8-hour flight to Detroit, the 2-hour flight to Kansas City felt like the longest! I was so eager to be home! Just ask Leslie, who sat by me on the ride home – I was antsy!

There is always something comforting and enticing about being home. And after traveling for over 3 days to get there, it made being home that much more comforting!

Where's the Good in Goodbye?

With my last day in Botswana coming to an end, I am left wondering where's the good in goodbye? And many goodbyes are echoing throughout our heads, not only to the people that have made this experience so incredibly meaningful but also to a place that we've happily called home for the past 2 months.

This past week we knew that the school was closed to celebrate the holiday and for a break. We were really looking forward to volunteering at Tlamelo Wednesday through Friday after the long holiday weekend. However, mid-week we were told that Tlamelo, too, would be closed all week. We were frustrated that there really wasn't much to do, but we were still able to go into the school a few days to type and print mid-term tests. Even though the school and the feeding project were both closed, some of the kids were milling around, and, of course, we spent some time in the afternoon playing with them! Who could resist their big brown eyes and beautiful smiles?



Thursday afternoon, one of my students, Lorato, met me at the school to present me with a gift of appreciation from the "Standard Sevens "--- a beautiful Botswana coaster! She brought her three sons along and proudly introduced me to her children. Lorato promised me, too, that she'd write to tell me her results of the PSLEs! She's a great student and I can't wait to hear about her good marks!




In our free time this week, we were able to go to a museum of history, visit an art exhibit, and watch the sun set at Gaborone Dam. All were great ways to spend our free time! We also did our fair share of browsing the craft markets this week, which inevitably led to a little shopping!


This morning I went to Mass and then met my teammates at Old Naledi to go to the church services there. Many of the children that eat at Tlamelo also attend the church service, so we were able to say our goodbyes to the little ones that we've built friendships with over the past 9 weeks. We lingered a long time in Old Naledi, not wanting to leave but not wanting to draw out our goodbyes either. Our goodbyes were extremely difficult, but perhaps that can be taken as a sign of what a great 9 weeks we have been blessed with here in Botswana.

Curious about the origins of the word 'goodbye,' Wikipedia claims goodbye comes from "God be with ye" or "God be with you." And if Wikipedia is credible this time, then I did find some good in goodbyes, as I will continue to pray for these people and this place that God may continue to be with them. Even if I can't.

The Last Day of School

The last day of school holds bittersweet memories for me as a child. Happiness as summer vacation with its freedom was soon on its way, but yet sadness as I said goodbye to a teacher, friends, and a classroom where I learned so much. Multiply that by a trillion and that's how I felt on Friday, our last day of school at Naledi Education Centre. We are still in Gaborone for another week, but Monday and Tuesday are national holidays, as it is President's Day, and the school is closed the rest of the week for a break for the students and the teachers.

Since I was volunteering in the Standard 7 classroom, which is the last standard in primary school (standards are similar to grades in the US), the main focus was on the Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) while I was there. The PSLE consists of seven 60 multiple-choice question exams, one over each of the seven subjects. In addition, students write a composition and letter in both English and Setswana. The compositions and letters are to be written on July 28th, so much of my time with the students included explaining how to write a good letter or composition, giving them topics to write about, then marking their work and going over ways to improve their writing skills.

This past Thursday and Friday, a volunteer teacher, Mr. Manele, who went through the teacher education program at UB, came to help in the Standard 7 classroom. He, too, focused on English and Setswana compositions and letters. He was a very good teacher and had a great rapport with the students. His teaching strategies, his questions, and just how he engaged the students was all very similar to what I have been taught in my education classes at K-State! It was great to see such similarities! He taught in both English and Setswana, which is what the students need - a mixture of both languages. Mma Rungwe teaches strictly in Setswana and I only could teach in English, so Mr. Manele was the combination of both languages. The students are more comfortable answering questions in Setswana, but need to hear English in order to learn it better. The students truly appreciated all of his help and I loved being able to observe him as he taught in a language I could understand!

I have so many great memories of volunteering in the Standard 7 classroom. I gained so much valuable experience with teaching. But, more importantly, I gained so many friendships with Mma Rungwe and the students that I will treasure forever. Friday was a bittersweet feeling indeed, as I am very blessed and happy to have been given such an amazing opportunity. Yet, it is very sad and very hard to leave Naledi Education Centre when teaching there gave me much joy.

Standard 7 students, Mma Rungwe (in the blue stocking hat) and me

My favorite poster in my class---Soils! Soils is one of my favorite subjects to learn and to teach! And here in Botswana, students learn all about it in primary school. Cool, huh?

Teaching do's and don'ts about writing compositions

Tumelo and Godfrey, two of my students, acting cool for the camera! They were both a joy to have in class!

Lorato was the first one to talk to me on my first day of school at NEC! She is an adult student and shared many of her life stories with me!


My class showing their excitement after I surprised them with a little gift - a packet with a ruler, pen, pencil, eraser, and sharpener. All things necessary to take the upcoming PSLEs! Good luck, Standard 7!

Victoria Falls

Traveling can be quite the adventure, especially when traveling in a foreign country, but "angels," people graciously lending a helpful hand, helped us get to and from Livingstone, Zambia so that we could enjoy our travels!

As a disclaimer, this blog might be a bit lengthy, but I assure you that the adventures are well worth the read! But, you may want to read a little at a time!

A background geography lesson - Victoria Falls, one of the seven natural wonders of the world, is in between two countries, Zambia and Zimbabwe, which means one may go to either country to experience two different views of the same falls. Jayne, Leslie, and I decided to head to the Zambian side to the town Livingstone, while the rest of the team was heading to Zimbabwe. So, our/us/we is referring to Jayne, Les, and I. Check out my teammates blogs for all of their adventures, too!

Tuesday/Wednesday: The Bus
1st Angel: A woman behind us stopped people from cutting in line Tuesday morning while standing in line to buy bus tickets. Thanks to her defending her spot in line, the three of us got 3 of the last 5 tickets for Tuesday's bus. The woman that was trying to cut in line was the first person not to get a ticket. Karma, eh? If we wouldn't have gotten a bus ticket for Tuesday, we would have had to wait to leave until Thursday. Thank goodness that she stood her ground!

2nd Angel: A man who organized the chaos of loading the bus Tuesday evening with the luggage and the many, many comforters (A little odd I know, but they transport the comforters to Zambia to sell. Who knew comforters were such a hot commodity?) Since there are so many items that are being transported across the border, sometimes luggage cannot fit on the bus and those whose luggage isn't on the bus get a refund and have to try to get a ticket for the next day. However, this man organized lines to keep the crowd from getting pushy! And our luggage got on the bus! Woo-hoo!

We left Tuesday at 9:30 and arrived at the Botswana-Zambia border at 7:30 the next morning. We had met this nice girl our age that was traveling to Tanzania for university on Tuesday night while we waited to load the bus . Lo and behold, she become Angel #3. She helped us go through immigration/customs out of Botswana, walk to the ferry that took us across the river to the Zambia side, go through immigration/customs in Zambia, and exchange Botswana Pula for Zambia Kwacha. All of this we probably could have discovered one way or another on our own, but she was great company during the long wait (~ 3 1/2 hours to get through all the customs in both countries!) and it was so much more easier with her guidance!

We arrived in Livingstone at 11:30 and spent the afternoon exploring our new surroundings. The bus ride was exhausting, so Wednesday night relaxed at Jollyboys, the backpackers we were staying at, and met some of the other people from across the world, literally, that were staying there, too.

Thursday: The Market & Sunset Cruise

We ate scones and drank coffee at this quaint bakery in Livingstone late Thursday morning and walked around the town, where we ended up in the craft market of Livingstone. We spent the late morning and early afternoon browsing the handmade crafts. Such craftsmanship! We then headed back to Jollyboys to get aboard a small pontoon-like boat for a Sunset Cruise down the Zambezi River. It was so beautiful! We saw hippos, elephants, a crocodile, lots of birds, and a beautiful sunset as we ate our dinner on the water! A beautiful end to a great day in Livingstone!

Hungry hungry hippos!

Les, me, and Jayne on the upper deck of the boat

Friday: Victoria Falls
Friday I do believe I encountered a host of angels that kept me safe as I did this...

Yep, I voluntarily bungi jumped at the 3rd highest bungi jump in the world! A 111 meter (or 364 feet) drop is all. Aahhh! It was exhilarating and quite the adrenaline rush! I loved it! Les (who jumped with perfect form if I must add) and I had the best angel of all to help encourage and cheer us on - Jayne! I do believe that she was more nervous than I, but that was the best distraction of all! And she was quite the photographer to capture our daring jumps as proof!

Looks like I am going to hit these rocks, but of course I don't!

That afternoon we headed into the national park to view the falls! I will let the pictures speak for themselves. However, these pictures don't seem to do Victoria Falls justice! The beauty was breathtaking!

We hiked to the very top where the water was not yet falling and then we hiked to what is called the "Boiling Pot" at the very bottom. All the way to the top and all the way to the bottom! It was quite the hike, too, complete with crossing streams and climbing up and down huge boulders. The view was so worth it, though!

The view from the Boiling Pot...that bridge is the one I bungi jumped off of!

We saw so many baboons on the hike there, too!

Saturday: Chobe Safari
We woke up early to head back into Botswana on Saturday to go on a safari in the Chobe Game Reserve. Botswana has the largest elephant population in all of Africa and Chobe was the biggest safari we have been on. We saw tons of elephants, crocodiles, impala, birds, water buffalo, hippos, lizards, and monkeys, too. We drove around in an open safari vehicle during the morning and then ate lunch on a boat on the Chobe River to get a better view of all that wildlife enjoying the water! What a day! Africa has been blessed with some amazing and beautiful creatures! Too bad we didn't see a lion or a cheetah, though. It was still amazing!

Look at the horns on that impala! Wow!

A hippo, soaking up the African sun

So many elephants! These are the mama and baby elephants all together

Sunday: The Bus Ride Back to UB
We had to wake up at 2:45am on Sunday to get to the bus stop by 3:30, as the bus was coming through Livingstone at 4am. However, when the bus came through it was already full! No room for us! Had to go to our backup plan which consisted of catching a bus to the Botswana-Zambia border, hitchhiking to Kasane (hitchhiking is a common means of transportation in Botswana), catching a bus from Kasane to Francistown and another bus from Francistown to Gaborone. Though we had a backup plan, we never had to resort to it (thank goodness as it was a bit complicated) as we encountered angel # ... well, I lost count of how many angels helped us along the way! But on the bus to the border, Jayne sat with a man who knew the bus driver of the bus that was full and going to Gabs and said that we'd met up with that bus at the border and he'd see what he could do. We were able to squeeze on the bus! And by squeeze, I mean squeeze, as we were all sitting on the floor or in an aisle! I sat in the stairwell by an out-of-order bathroom on this awkward bar. Jayne sat across from me in the aisle and Les sat at the front of the bus in an aisle/stairwell. Uncomfortable, yes, but we were grateful to be on the bus! Finally, after sitting on the floor for 6 hours, enough people got off that we were able to sit in seats! Never have seats on a bus been so luxurious! We each met some very nice people that we conversed with until we finally reached Gaborone at 9pm. It was such a relief to be home at UB after that bus ride!

Thanks to a handful of "angels" we were able to make the most of our time to, from, and in Livingstone, Zambia!

The 4th of July - Botswana Style

The 4th of July to me is the epitome of summer --- friends and family all together with good food out on the grill, maybe a small town parade or a dip in the lake, with it all building up to a fireworks show after the sun has set. No matter how the 4th of July is celebrated, it's always been a highlight of summer.

My 4th of July started out with taking a shower in the pitch black. There is an energy crisis in southern Africa and blackouts randomly happen. So, I had just jumped in the shower Friday morning when the lights went out! I was able to finish showering and to get ready for school by the aid of candles, though, I would have preferred electricity!

School was great, as it was one of those days that the students truly understood the lesson. I loved seeing smiles of self-satisfaction light up their faces when they realized that they do know what congruent figures are! A rewarding day in the classroom!

After finishing the day at Tlamelo, Matt and Meeka accompanied Teacher Shirley to a funeral (check out their blogs for more details) while Leslie, Jayne, Danielle, Jack, and I headed to the Main Mall to pick up our laundry. When we got back from Maun earlier this week, we found out that the laundry facilities here at UB are now closed until school resumes in August. There's no such thing as a laundromat here so the next best thing is to have our clothes washed, dried, and folded at a dry cleaners, which is why we needed to stop by Friday afternoon to pick up our much-needed clean clothes. The Main Mall is mall full of chain clothing, electronic, and grocery stores, as well as local vendors that sell traditional Botswana handicrafts, food, candy, and cell phone airtime minutes. Random assortment, yes. We spent some time browsing the area, until our clothes were to be finished.

The clothes weren't folded yet, though, we are in Botswana, after all, so we had an hour to kill and decided to go grab a cup of tea or coffee at the President Hotel. This only is significant if you have read the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency Series by Alexander McCall Smith (like most of us here have) because this is where Mma Ramotswe goes for tea. The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency Series is a fictional series of novels that is based out of Gaborone. Even though it's fictional work, the places in the novels are real. In fact, the publicity of this series has brought tourists here to Gaborone! Fun fact, huh? It's a good read and mirrors the life here.

Anyway, after enjoying a late afternoon cup of tea, we grabbed our laundry and headed home for the day. Jayne, Leslie, and I wanted to celebrate the 4th by going out for dinner! We decided to eat at new restaurant to us and I was excited to see ground-beef hamburgers on the menu! Most places here serve minced-beef hamburgers, which have a different texture that I am not so fond of. How could I pass up a ground-beef hamburger on the 4th of July? Small pleasures, yes, but it was a great meal in even better company!

Saturday afternoon we had plans to attend the U.S. Embassy's 4th of July party. We called around 12:30 or 1ish for two taxis to come and then we waited....and then waited some more...called the taxi company, who insisted the taxis were on their way...waited some more....called the company again, who then insisted they came and we never showed up. We were sitting outside---there was no way we could have missed 2 taxis. We called another taxi, which did arrive in a quickly manner. The time of arrival: 3:00pm. Only a mere 2 hours after we called the first taxi did we finally get to the party! The party was supposed to be over at 4, so we just asked the taxi to come pick us up in an hour, and he agreed to do so. This is an important detail for later - I promise.

At the party, there were arts and crafts, face painting, a live band, and my favorite...food on the grill! The tables were covered with patriotic tablecloths and red, white, and blue balloons were tied to benches and tables around the courtyard. We grabbed some hamburgers (ground beef, yes!) and brats and listened to the band as we ate and watched kids play some football (soccer). Matt and Jack got their faces painted, too! It was almost like we were back at home in the States at a 4th of July BBQ!

The party was dying down and we waited out by the gate for our taxi to come pick us up. We waited a good 20 minutes until we gave up and started walking back to UB. We hit a combi stop first and hopped on to save us some trekking. Taxis weren't on our good side after standing us up twice in one day. But, even with all the trouble, the Embassy party was a nice way to celebrate the 4th of July in Africa!

Quite the different 4th of July weekend! Being away from America on her birthday (in addition to this entire experience) had made me realize how truly blessed I am to be an American! And how truly blessed I am to be able to celebrate the 4th of July - Botswana style!

A Little R&R at the Okavango Delta

Rest and relaxation... Two very important things to maintain in one's life. And it was time for some R&R for us in the Okavango Delta near Maun in northern Botswana!

We left late Wednesday evening on a sleeper train, which was my first experience on a train! Thursday morning we caught a bus from Francistown to Maun and arrived there mid-afternoon. Quite a few hours of travel, but we were finally at our camping resort, Audi.

We had two-person canvas tents and were thankful for the additional jackets, sweatpants, and socks that we each packed! It's winter here, so once the sun goes down, it's quite cold! And, if you know me, I get cold easily, so I definitely took advantage of layering clothes!

Home sweet home at Audi

Friday morning we went on a horseback safari. We didn't see any typical 'safari' animals, but saw goats, donkeys, and cattle, which all are free ranging throughout the day here. It's random, but yet natural, to see a herd of cattle or goats just wandering aimlessly about the bush or even better crossing the road as they please! Our guide took us through the bush, where we had to duck under tree limbs and watch out for acacia trees with their prickly thorns. An acacia tree caught my upper arm once and gave it a pretty good scratch during one of our canters on the horses. Our guide told me that it was the battle wounds from a tiger, which aren't even native here! He was so amusing, as he jokingly pointed to a donkey and told us it was a lion!

Me and Fox, the horse

We proceeded to have a picnic beside the river, while our horses rested. Then, we crossed the river and this was not a shallow crossing either! I was on a taller horse than many of the others, so I didn't get as wet as the rest of the gang, but, nevertheless, I was in water up to my upper thighs! We crossed the river once again and took the horses back to their stables after a good ride.

That's me in the red in the front crossing the river

The rest of the afternoon we laid out by the pool at Audi in the warm African sunshine of the late afternoon. It was too chilly for any swimming, though Matt did give a try. Braver than us girls that's for sure!

Saturday we left bright and early in an open-air safari vehicle for a mokoro ride, which is a hand dug canoe, in the Okavango Delta. We then drove 2 hours with the biting cold air all around us. We were thankful once we got off tarred roads because that meant our speed (and the cold wind blowing in our faces) would slow down! It warmed up and we were able to enjoy the beautiful scenery and wild animals.

It doesn't look real, but it is!

We got in the mokoros, which hold 2 people and a poler, who guides the mokoro through the waters. It was so quiet, with only the sounds of birds and the swaying of the grasses to be heard. The water was crystal clear and the nearby reeds and grasses and the blue skies overhead were reflected in the water.

The mokoros, just waiting to be taken out for a day in the water!

Jayne and Danielle and the poler

We even heard an elephant shaking a palm tree to get the fruit down, though we couldn't see it. We then got out and took a 2 hour bush walk to search for wildlife. We saw many termite mounds, zebra under the shade of a big tree, and even the skeleton remains of an elephant. We ate lunch and got back in the mokoro for the return trip. Again, the quietness was astounding and the beauty of the mokoros moving quietly, almost effortlessly, throughout the water was amazing. Occasionally, I'd stick my hands into the cold, crisp water as a refresher from the warm afternoon sun.

Aww...sigh...such beauty...

Suddenly, though, Leslie and Jayne's mokoro stopped abruptly (they were leading the way) and we heard the reeds rustling and what sounded like pounding footsteps. Everyone stayed still and quiet. The poler explained that he thought it was a hippo! (On a side note, did you know that hippos kill more people in Africa than any other animal? Surprising, huh?) We sat there quietly...Danielle and I on the edge of our mokoro hoping the huge hippo would show itself, while Leslie and Jayne were holding each other hoping it had run away! And it did the latter of those two alternatives, but we did hear some large animal nearby though we didn't get to see it!

Further along, we saw a giraffe eating leaves from the tops of trees and we sat there and watched it for awhile. It soon realized we were there and ran further away. What a beautiful sight to see such a large animal run so eloquently! We then were back at the starting point and headed back to Audi after an amazing day!

The giraffe peering at us after running away!

Sunday we caught a bus back to Francistown and then the sleeper train to Gaborone. The Okavango Delta definitely provided us with some great R&R and I am eager, as are the others, to be with the children again after our little vacation up north!

With scenery like this, who could complain?