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?

A Stranger's Kindness

Upon arriving in Botswana we were only given a 30 day visa as we did not have proof of our residence at UB when we crossed the border from our long journey here a short month ago. We were told that it would be no problem to extend it once we had proof that we do in fact live at UB. So on Wednesday, we ventured to the immigration office to get our visas renewed.

Being 7 of us, we caught two taxis to take us to the immigration office. Danielle, Jayne, and I were all in the first one to arrive at the immigration office. However, we were told that we needed to go to a different immigration office. That wouldn't be that devastating of news, but our taxi just left and none of us three have a cell phone here. So, we decided to wait and see if the other group in the other taxi would arrive at the same office. However, before they arrived, a man that was there doing business and was leaving offered to take us in his truck! He apologized that the bed was dirty, but it was a mode of transportation and he knew the location of the office we needed to be at, so we graciously jumped in the back!

We pulled into a dirt drive that did not look too official and we were a bit weary. But, the nice man that drove us there pointed to the building that we needed to go to. To get our visas extended, we found out that we need to pay a man to hand write a letter of application, asking the government of Botswana to extend our visas. We didn't expect to need a letter of application to be allowed to stay here, but we were granted the additional time after submitting the letter. It was an unexpected way to renew our visas---pay a man to write a letter for us, sign it, submit it, and then get your visa stamped for another 60 days---but they are extended thanks to the kindness of a complete stranger. We would have never been able to find this office on our own. This small act of kindness just proves how willing everyone here is to help. And we were (and still am!) extremely grateful for their helpfulness!

A Warm Welcome in Gamadubu

On Saturday morning, the 7 of us woke up to head to Gamadubu, a village outside of Gaborone, with Anna, Jessica, and Teacher Shirley, the preschool teacher at Naledi. About 5 years ago, Teacher Shirley started a feeding project for the children there. Teacher Shirley, Anna, and Jessica invited us to join them. Including Teacher Shirley's son and the Old Man (which is what he is referred to as), the 12 of us crammed into the small Toyota to make the hour journey to Gamadubu. Quite the tight squeeze, but we made it and it was quite memorable!

Yes, 12 people fit in that!

Once we got there, Teacher Shirley made sure that we were served tea and biscuits before we started working. What a sweet hostess! We then started chopped cabbage and peeling and grating carrots for lunch.

Anna, Jessica, and Leslie peeling and grating carrots

A social worker came, too, and told the children Bible stories and explained their rights as children. We then circled up and played some games with the children. Afterwards, we were taken on an African taxi --- a donkey-drawn cart. The village is truly out in the bush and is fairly spread out, so African taxis are their source of transportation in Gamadubu!Quite the ride!

The 7 of us were graciously given a goat, which is a very nice gift here! Being in a traditional African village, the men brought in the goat and the men then killed the goat there. Boys help at a young age and learn by watching their elders. It is a right of passage once a boy slaughters a goat for the first time. At K-State, I took an animal processing class, in which I learned hands-on how to process cattle, hogs, and sheep, and I never imagined that it would come in handy here in Africa! But, as I watched the men skin the goat and go through each step of processing it, that class gave me a very good foundation to explain to my teammates what was going on. The men that slaughtered it were very experienced and did an excellent job! While it was a little gruesome for some of my teammates to experience the slaughtering process, being given a goat was a very gracious gift!

Our goat before... I'll spare you the after shot!

We continued playing with the kids until it was time to serve lunch. Lunch included beets, rice, cabbage and carrot salad, and intestines. However, us adults were served the liver from the goat that was just slaughtered. It was a very good meal and very filling! Who knew that goat liver could be so good? This was my first true African meal experience!

My plate...very colorful and good, too!

The children eating under the shade

We then continued to play with the kids. They taught us some Setswana and played games with us. We cuddled with the little babies, too, which I must admit was one of my favorite things to do! After most of the children had gone home, Jessica and Anna taught us how to make papatas, which are similar to English muffins but better!

The papatas cooking on the fire

As it was nearing the end of our stay in Gamadubu, the chicken that was given to Anna and Jessica needed to be killed and cleaned. The knife was handed to me and I was told to kill the chicken! I was a bit hesitant, but then said, "I can kill a chicken," which has now become one of the many quotes that my team laughs about! So, with help from Teacher Shirley's son, I chopped a chicken's head off! Even though I was raised on a farm, that was a first for me! Teacher Shirley then plucked the feathers and cleaned it.

We were teased that as Americans we don't eat the feet or the head or any of the internal organs. Batswana (the people of Botswana) eat every edible part of the animal, whether the goat or the chicken. They gladly kept those parts that we don't eat, though, for their own eating enjoyment!

We then returned home. This time with 13 people in the truck and a slaughtered goat and a chicken in a bag tied to the roof of the truck! We stopped by a butcher on the way home so he could cut the goat into retail cuts of meat and soon we home after a very good day in Gamadubu! Quite a few firsts for many of us and quite a different lifestyle in Gamadubu than any of us are accustomed to, but a very memorable day!

Building Relationships

Since we have yet to hear from Mokolodi about volunteering there, I decided to volunteer in the classroom each day this week. I am trying to implement ways to help the students learn and am gaining much needed experience teaching at the same time! I am getting to know the students better each day and am learning which ones, especially one boy named Tulmelo, which ironically means 'believe,' who is quite the teaser! I never know if I can believe him! One day, he sneezed during class, and naturally, I said, "Bless you." He thought this was a comical response, because once I turned my back to start writing on the board, he obviously fake sneezed, expecting a response from me. I gave him a look and he countered back, "I have the flu...oh-so-sick!" He wasn't. I have also quickly learned which ones I can depend on for telling me the truth! I am enjoying getting to know my students and building relationships with them. The students are hard workers and I love being able to help them out when I can!

After school is out, I try to stick around and help out at the feeding project and play with the children there. We are all getting to know the children better and am building relationships with them. They are teaching us hand games and Leslie is teaching them some in return. The active ones love to play with Matt and Jack who chase them around. The girls love to play with my hair and I tend to find it tied into knots and quite frizzy at the end of the day! Little ones that don't know English quite yet just hold their arms out for you to pick them up! There's always someone to entertain, or more often than not, be entertained by! I sometimes don't know who is having more fun --- the kids or us!

This is me and Sadi, who I called Lovey for awhile, because she wouldn't tell me her name for the longest time! And she is just so cuddly!

Jayne with Charity and Danielle with Papeiro

Jack and the boys!

On Friday, the boys at the school were playing in a football (soccer) game against another school in Old Naledi. So, we followed them to the field and watched them play! They don't have a coach, but they still did a very good job! When we left at halftime to head home for the day, though, the game was 0-1. I'll be anxious to ask Monday morning about the outcome of the game! It was good to see the boys in a different element, working together outside of the classroom walls. I think they enjoyed having spectators, too!

Team Photo

The Typical Day at School

"Travel is a way of stretching the mind. The stretch comes not from the travel's immediate rewards....the inevitable new sights, smells, and sounds, but with experiencing firsthand how others do differently what we believed to be the right and only way."
--Unknown

This quote seemed quite fitting to remember and reflect upon as I gain more responsibility at Naledi Education Centre. My day starts out leaving the hostel at 7am, hoping on a combi to the combi station, hoping on another combi to Naledi, and getting there sometimes around 7:30 or other times not until close to 8. It's hard to estimate how fast the combis will fill up or how often we stop to let people off or pick people up.

School officially starts at 7:50, but in the Standard 7 classroom, or probably any classroom for that matter, class has yet to start at that time. Mma Rugwe, the Standard 7 teacher, lives in a neighboring village and depends on public transportation so she gets to class as soon as possible, which is usually around 8:15 or 8:30. But, this is normal for Botswana. It has been referred to as 'Botswana Time' since it is a much more relaxed time schedule here. There are no set bells or rigid schedules. However, the students use their time wisely before Mma Rugwe arrives, as they usually work on homework from the day before or read from notes or quietly talk amongst themselves.

With the mock examinations finished, this week lessons resumed. On top of marking papers and assignments, Mma Rugwe handed a few of the lessons over to me! Literally! She handed me the text book they use and the book of education standards to plan the lesson and told me to go with it! Yesterday, I went over writing compositions. On top of taking the 7 different multiple-choice examinations (Social Studies, Science, Mathematics, Moral and Religious Education, Agriculture, English, and Setswana), the students also will write compositions and letters in both English and Setswana for their PSLE (Primary School Leaving Examination). The students do know spoken English fluently, but written English is somewhat difficult for them.The composition topic was about weddings and it was neat to read about the cultural differences regarding weddings here! In most cases, the man gives 8 cattle to his future wife's family!

Today, I was given the lesson of science and technology to teach. I haven't quite figured out which subjects are taught on which days or if there is any schedule to follow. But, the lesson begins with me writing the text book on the chalkboard for the students to copy down in their notebooks, since students do not have their own textbooks. This is quite the lengthy process at times---both for me and for the students! I then went over the notes and discovered that I have quite a few adaptations to make...slowing down on instructions, asking direct, clear questions, giving ample wait time for responses to those questions, and defining hard vocabulary terms. Then, review questions are written on the board for the students to copy and complete. This is the way that Mma Rugwe teaches. However, Mma Rugwe has given me the freedom to teach however I see fit, so hopefully I can gradually make changes to implement some strategies to the lessons that I teach to help the students learn in a different way. It is a bit frustrating at times because it seems, from the outside looking in, that the students are simply copying the notes and filling in the blanks, without any real direct instruction.

There's not any of the technology that I have used in my teaching experience in the States. The classroom is simple and a hand bell is even rung for break times. This simplicity is a testament that learning still happens, even without fancy computers or elaborate technology. Teaching in the classroom has definitely given me ample opportunities to experience firsthand a typical day of school in Botswana! Since the school day ends around 1 or 1:30, I usually end up playing and talking with the children that ate at Tlamelo, which is on the same plot as the school, until it's time to head back to the graduate hostels for the day.

Volunteering at the school is definitely challenging me to experience how different the material is taught here. It can be a bit frustrating, as it is so different than they way I was taught or the way that I teach, but thankfully, no matter how different the lessons may be taught here, the purpose of education here, there, and everywhere still remains the same---that students learn! And that is what matters!

Sunday Afternoon Hike

Thursday at Tlamelo we met another volunteer, Luke, from Flying Mission, who volunteers on Thursdays at Tlamelo. Our conversation somehow led to the many things to do around Gaborone. Luke had mentioned that he just went hiking on Kgale Hill, which is a huge hill that overlooks the entire city and surrounding countryside. He mentioned that he would be up to tackle the hike again if we would like to tag along…and of course we accepted his invitation!

Sunday afternoon we set off to hike. After an hour or so of some intense hiking in some places we were rewarded with one of the most breathtaking views ever! Words cannot truly express the beauty of the sight, so I’ll let the pictures tell it all!

Yep, that's Kgale Hill!

The girls' faces tell it all! Quite the hiking ahead of us!

Quite the comical sign, huh?


At the top overlooking Gaborone Dam



The white speck in the middle of the picture is indeed a car!


We could see for miles! So beautiful .... the pictures don't do it justice!

All of us with Kgale Hill in the background! We did it!

I was born poor, but am rich in mind

This was written on a door in one of the homes in Old Naledi, the village where we are volunteering. Today, Champ, the coordinator of the Tlamelo Project, took us around the village to get a firsthand look. I have been here two and a half weeks, but yet this week by volunteering in the classroom and walking around the village, I feel that I have opened my eyes to see beyond just the beautiful scenery.

Old Naledi is full of beautiful and kind-hearted people, but sadly it's also full of poverty and sickness. Old Naledi is one of the most over-populated and poverty-stricken villages around Gaborone. Today, on our walk around the village, Champ introduced us to some incredible people that have faced many challenges in this village.

One very special woman welcomed us into her home to visit. She had become paralyzed about 2 years ago. On top of this very limiting disability, she is HIV positive, has 4 children and a mentally ill sister to support, and her husband left her when she became paralyzed. She is struggling to make a means for her family and her children receive much-needed nurishment from the feeding project each day. She is currently living in a government provided house, which is one room, approximately 7'x10', but will be kicked out, regardless of her circumstances, in 6 months time. She has indeed been through much suffering, but during our entire visit, she had a beautiful smile on her face. So many struggles that she has, and will continue to face, and yet she still has a strong faith about her, which struck something deep within me.

We ventured on and visited with a man who has been very sick for quite some time, but is feeling much better lately. His smile indeed captured his recovery. Champ pointed out along our walk where some of the children that we are getting to know live. Since many of the childrens' parents have died, they live with extended family or older siblings, those not nearly old enough to be the head of a household by any means.

"I was born poor, but am rich in mind." Seems to sum up the life for many in Old Naledi, but leaves me on a hopeful note after a very naive girl saw firsthand a real view of poverty and sickness.

My Schedule

I am a planner, and as much as this experience has already taught me to “go with the flow” in many situations, I still like to plan out my week. I’ll be volunteering at the school Mondays through Wednesdays, at the Mokolodi Wildlife Reserve on Thursdays, and at the Tlamelo Project on Fridays. I’m excited to get more involved in each of these projects!

I’ve already had ‘homework’, a.k.a. making keys and grading, after each day of school. The students are taking Mock Examinations to prepare for the Examinations that determine whether or not they move onto the next standard. I have been making keys for these exams, which requires me to look the answers up in textbooks, and have learned so much already about Botswana and its culture and history! I will start grading them soon and am eager to see how the students did! I’m beginning to sound like a teacher, huh?

Oodi Weavers

Saturday we ventured out to a nearby village, Oodi, to visit the Oodi Weavers. The Oodi Weavers is a cooperative started in 1973 to help provide an economic base for the women from Oodi and the surrounding villages. The wool is hand spun, dyed using chemicals over an open fire, and then hand woven into spontaneous patterns created by the weavers.

It was amazing to watch the women at work! Some of us even individually ordered custom made tapestries! Mine will be finished in a few weeks and will be quite the personalized memento of the summer--- and it supports some very kind and extremely talented women!

The woman pictured below said that she's worked here since the beginning of the cooperative!

Saturday afternoon we walked from UB to the Main Mall to browse around the market and the vendors there. However, being late Saturday afternoon, all the market and vendors were closed! However, it wasn’t a wasted trip for me as I found a Catholic church on the way! Woo-hoo! I was told it was close by (about a 20-25 minute walk), but I hadn’t been able to find it yet! And perfect timing, too, as I was able to attend the Sunday service there the next morning without having to call a taxi or jump on a combi! It was so very nice to attend church! Definitely felt right at home! :)

Mma Johnson

I admit that I had a case of the first day of school jitters. I woke up extra early on Friday morning so that I would be prepared for my first day of volunteering at the Naledi Education Centre. School starts at 7:50 and once I was at the school, I officially became Mma (pronounced ma) Johnson or Miss Johnson and was going to help Mma Rugwe in Standard 7. The subjects covered in Standard 7 are Setswana, English, Mathematics, Social Studies, Science, Religious and Moral Education, and yes, oh yes, Agriculture. Yay! There are 17 students in Standard 7, from maybe 14 years old to a few women that are in their mid or late 30’s.

A woman that was sitting close to the teacher’s desk started a conversation with me before class began. Her name was Loreto (meaning Love in English) and she had the kindest smile that calmed my first day jitters! My eye also immediately caught a student’s poster in the back of the room---It about a soil profile! Something familiar! I took those both as good signs!

The classroom was very basic, with just desks, a chalkboard, and a bulletin board. For their lessons, there was one math book, so Mma Rugwe wrote the homework problems on the board for the students to copy and complete in their notebooks. The students were so quiet as they were diligently working! I was not used to a classroom that quiet! There isn’t any Teachers' Editions of many (if any) of the texts, so the teachers make their own grading keys. So I did that for Mma Rugwe and then graded their assignments and soon found one major difference between American and Botswana education! Here a checkmark means the answer is correct and an X next to the answer means the answer is incorrect! Quite different from what I am used to! So, I then had to go back and re-grade the assignments according to the grading procedures here! Just one of those cultural differences that I am learning through trial and error!

Later in the morning, the entire school had an assembly to thank and receive textbooks that were donated to the school. Everyone was so thankful and appreciative for books. The students and teachers sang (literally!) their praises so joyfully for these books. For something that I, as an elementary and secondary school student, took for granted all those years.

School is dismissed at 1pm and I then helped a handful of boys in Standard 5 plant a garden for a school project. I have no experience with the soil or the rainfall or the best planting practices here in Africa, but I suppose this will really test if I have a green thumb or not! It was very good, though, to get my hands in the soil here! It is so different than the soil back at home!

What a good first day of school in Africa!

Sit, Tracy, Sit

Picture the blue cloudless skies, the wild animals, and the picturesque hills that make up the serene Mokolodi Game Reserve. Now picture trying to show this beautiful nature to 40 preschoolers! That was what Leslie, Jack, Danielle, Meeka, and I tried to do today as we volunteered at the reserve. We wanted to see firsthand what it was like when a group of school children were there.

The young children were so adorable! They referred to all of us helpers and their teachers as Aunties or Uncles! So, we were Auntie Leslie, Uncle Jack, Auntie Danielle… and so on! They started the day with learning about the crocodile. We then moved into the cafeteria where the children had hot tea and a sandwich. Quite shocking to us, 2-, 3-, and 4-year-olds were drinking hot, and I mean steaming hot, tea! And no one seemed to burn his or her little mouth! It’s just one of those cultural differences that everyone here, including the little ones, are accustomed to drink tea.

After the snacks, we moved on to the safari part of the day. Yes, about 40 preschoolers rode on these vehicles like the one pictured below…what an experience to get them all to stay seated! The ride was quite bumpy and the maternal side of me came out, because I didn’t want any of the children to fall out! But, the tour guides, Naledi and Kenzy, and the preschool teachers didn’t seem too worried about it, other than telling them to “sit properly” when the children stood up. There were no seatbelts for these wee ones and I happened to be sitting in the back next to a sweet little girl, Tracy. Oh, but Tracy did not want to stay seated. After telling her to “sit, Tracy, sit” numerous, numerous times, I just sat her on my lap and seat belted her in with my arms. She got used to it eventually!

Here is Tracy...trying to squirm out of my arm seatbelt!

The little ones were so quiet when we spotted any animal and then they would always tell the animals bye when we drove off! We even spotted three elephants and a giraffe this time out!


After running out of petro (fuel) in the bush, we eventually got back to the Education Centre for lunch. After helping serve lunch, the little ones were on their way back to their preschool. But, before they left, all in unison, they said, “Thank you, aunties. We love you, aunties. God bless you, aunties!” What a great end to a great day!

Many of us, including myself, are interested in volunteering at the reserve once or twice a week. The work there could range from helping with the school children to working in the Permaculture Garden to doing conservation work in the bush. Besides all of those opportunities to volunteer, there is always a beautiful view at Mokolodi!

Exploring our Options

Monday we woke up early to travel to Molokodi Game Reserve, which is about 15 or so miles outside of Gaborone. We met with Peter, who was quite the character! He is the head of the Education Centre, but there are other offices there, too, such as conservation and even animal rehabilitation. The Education Centre primarily focuses on educating preschool to junior/high school students who visit. It seems like there are many options of service to do there. We are going to visit again this Thursday when about 40 preschoolers are there for a visit!

After our short meeting, we went on a tour of the reserve. Our guides drove us all over the reserve! We went to the top of a hill that overlooked the reserve and the Gaborone Dam and the Mokolodi Dam. It was a breathtaking sight!

On our tour, we saw impala, ostriches, warthogs, cheetah, kudu (a kind of antelope native to here), snakes, monkeys, and a crocodile. Some of these animals, like the cheetah, snakes, and crocodile were in cages, thank goodness! We also visited the injured or hurt animals that were being taken care of in the rehabilitation centre. It was so exciting to be on the lookout for animals! There weren’t any large animals, like a lion or elephant, in this reserve but hopefully we will see those on some other adventure!

Later that afternoon, we traveled to Old Naledi, the poorest yet most overpopulated village, to meet with the coordinator of the Tlamelo Project. The Tlamelo Project is a feeding project that feeds a noon meal to at least 150 orphaned children each day. Various activities are also offered to the children. Many of the team members from last year’s team helped out at this project last summer. The coordinator, Champ, was busy when we got there, so we joined Anna and Jessica with the children. The meal had already been served and just about one-third of the children were still hanging around to play when we got there. Upon the arrival of our 7 new faces, the children instantly wanted attention! And we gladly gave them that attention!

The older children went around asking us our names and our ages, while the little ones just wanted held or to cling to our legs. Others wanted piggyback rides or to do flips. The children were so adorable!

Champ told us that there was definitely work there for us if we wanted to volunteer. We also were introduced to Mma Phama, the principal of the Naledi Education Centre. Botswana’s education system is a bit different than ours. At the end of each grade, if a student doesn’t pass the standardized test, then they are no longer allowed to attend the free government school. They then are forced to go to a private school, which costs money, in order to get their education. The Naledi Education Centre is one of the private schools, except it is considerably cheaper than other private schools. We have an appointment to meet with Mma Phama on Wednesday morning to discuss volunteering at the school. We then plan to spend the day at Tlamelo playing with the children and helping serve lunch. Wednesday afternoon is allotted for rugby at Tlamelo, so we will be able to experience that as well! So many exciting options for service!

"Like the Drink?"

We all know that my name is quite original. While I love its uniqueness, I am used to repeating it during introductions. After repeating my name to Hope at the football game, he replied, “Oh, like the drink!” I was confused and had no clue what drink he was speaking of, but he knew my name, so I just let it go at that.
Sunday we were in the grocery store picking up a few items when my teammate, Matt, handed me a can of soda. It was called Mirinda! Yes, it's spelled differently, but I believe it may be pronounced the same, according to Hope! Of course, I bought a can and it was good! It tastes a lot like the orange soda we have back at home! So, maybe now I should just say "like the drink" when introducing myself!

The Proposal

Saturday afternoon we walked the short way to the football stadium for the World Cup qualifying game between Botswana and Madagascar. We got there about 2:15 for a 3:00 starting time. Not many people were there early, so we sat in a fairly open area. Two guys asked if they could sit by us and sat down. We soon began chatting with them. Lucas and Hope (a nickname for a much longer name) were quite interested in coming to America and asked if we ever wanted to come back to Botswana after this summer. Jayne, Danielle, Leslie, and I all gladly said we would love to come back to Botswana someday. Then, Lucas said to me to marry him, because then I could take him to the United States and he could take me back to Botswana! Quite the proposal, but I passed! That is Hope and Lucas in the picture with me and (from left to right) Leslie, Danielle, Jayne, Matt, and Meeka at the football game.

Then, more people about our age came and sat by the four of us girls and started taking pictures with us with their phones! We really didn’t know why they wanted our pictures so badly, but we just gladly smiled along as they snapped shots with us! It was a good time to chat with them about their culture!

Being midday, it was about 75 degrees with an occasional breeze. It was a beautiful day, slightly warm, and we were all in capris or skirts and light t-shirts. However, the Batswana (the word for the people of Botswana) were all dressed in jeans, sweatshirts or jackets, and some even had stocking caps on! I asked if they were hot, but they said no and gave me a slightly funny look! It is their winter season after all!

The game finally started and it was fun to watch the game, but also to watch the spectators! They were proud to be Zebras! The Zebras were a much better team, but couldn’t get on the scoreboard, so the game ended up 0–0. Lucas and Hope said the Zebras will now go play at Madagascar for the next round. Wouldn’t it be cool if the Zebras made it a long way on the road to the 2010 World Cup?

Defensive Driving

Friday was another day to adjust to our new surroundings and that it was for sure! We woke up and again walked to Riverwalk to use the wireless internet there. Internet had worked Wednesday evening when we got in, but the university unexpectedly lost connection Thursday morning. Some of the team had not been able to really contact many back home, so we thought we’d use the wireless at the mall. After lunch, we were all able to send a few emails and check a few things online before half of us headed to speak with Charity about our appointments and the other half went to buy tickets for the Botswana Craft festival that was taking place on Saturday. The Botswana Craft Festival is a festival that exhibits the traditional Botswana food, culture, dancing, and homemade crafts.

Jack, Leslie, Meeka, and I were the group that ventured off to buy tickets for the festival, while Danielle, Jayne, and Matt went to meet with Charity. My group tried to find a taxi to take us to Botswana Craft, the place of the festival. However, there were no taxis to be found there at Riverwalk. We then headed to see if a combi, which is the public transportation here that looks like small Volkswagen buses/vans, could take us there. A man said to just first go to the station and then get on another one to take you there. So, us four hopped on a combi, along with about 12 others, to go to the station. The station wasn’t a station, though. It really was just a bunch of combis in a parking lot. There wasn’t really a map of routes either. So, we started asking around. However, everyone kept telling us to go the combis that took us to the airport! Botswana Craft and aircraft is the only connection we could make. But, we knew that wasn’t right. After walking around a bit, we got back on a combi to take us back to Riverwalk --- the place we just came from! We made it back to Riverwalk and miraculously there was a taxi driver there that knew where Botswana Craft was!

We had been in taxis here before, but never had a ride like this before! This driver was, well, let’s call him a defensive driver. He was swerving in and out of traffic, making new lanes of traffic, honking the horn, and much more! The speed is in kilometers per hour here so I don’t know how fast we were truly going, but sometimes it may have been a little excessive for the situation. After about 20 minutes of this ‘defensive’ driving, we made it to Botswana Craft. Yay! We headed inside to buy our tickets, but the woman there said that they were sold out! They had been sold out since Tuesday! We weren’t even in Africa at that time! We had a quick laugh and got back in the same taxi to go back to UB. Again, very ‘defensive’ driving, but we got back to UB in one piece and without getting in any accidents. It’s no surprise, though, that according to a billboard, 50 accidents happen on the roads every day!But, in our few days here, we haven't seen one yet!

We were a bit disappointed that we wouldn’t be attending the cultural festival, but we found out that on Saturday, the national football team (a.k.a. soccer) was taking on Madagascar at the stadium across from UB! Change of plans for Saturday!

Getting Adjusted

Thursday morning was spent with the graduate student, Riley, who is helping us get adjusted to the campus, and going through a safety orientation. UB (University of Botswana) has gone to great measures to ensure the safety of the students on the campus. It was reassuring to listen to their safety precautions and to be aware of any dangers to avoid. We all found it comical, though, that according to one of the handouts, singing in the shower is strictly prohibited, as it is a noise violation! I guess that’s one habit that I’ll have to kick fast! :)

We also discussed our service options with Charity, our contact at UB through the International Students Office. Charity then offered to make the appointments with our potential project sites! One step closer to our project selection! It is much more credible when the arrangements are made through UB, too.

We then met Anna and Jessica, two girls that traveled here last year with the International Service Team who are returning to do service work on their own, for lunch in Riverwalk. Riverwalk is a very nice outdoor mall, with all types of restaurants and shopping to do. So far, though, all the meals have been fairly close to the meals back home. There has not yet been a traditional Botswana meal as such. The rest of the afternoon we spent shopping for the necessities to live --- groceries, dinner plates, cups, pots, pans, towels, flashlights, and so on. I don’t know if it was the afternoon of shopping or still jet lag, but sleep came easily that night!

Finally in Africa

My team left Monday from KCI to fly to Detroit, then to Amsterdam and finally to Johannesburg, South Africa. Considering I had only been on a plane once before, I now feel like a pro after approximately 19 hours in the air and many more just waiting in the airports!

Once in South Africa, a van from the backpacker’s lodge that we were staying at for the night picked us up at the airport. So here I was in Jo-burg, as the locals call it, riding in the front passenger seat, which is quite awkward to get used to as it is on the left hand side of course. But, then I suddenly hear sirens, so I looked in the side view mirror, and sure enough, there was a police car, blasting its lights and sirens. However, either our driver honestly did not see and/or hear it or he just wanted to ignore it, because he just kept driving on for what seemed like miles! Ok, maybe just a couple of blocks, but still… Eventually, the police pulled up right beside us in the (empty) lane of oncoming traffic and then the driver pulled over.

The police officer came to the driver’s window and started talking fast in his native language. The driver then stepped outside. They were outside discussing the matter for quite some time. Meanwhile, we just sat in the van, without any knowledge of what was really going on. Eventually, though, the driver got back in the vehicle and drove off. The rest of the ride was quite silent! Later we found out that the driver got pulled over because the trailer that held our luggage didn’t have lights. Whoops…not a major infraction, but quite the first experience of South Africa! Nothing too risky for us, but it was hard to not know what was going on!

We stayed at the backpackers lodge for the night and left around noon for the bus to Gaborone. 8 hours on the bus seemed to go by quickly, as I had the most breath-taking scenery to admire the entire way to Gaborone. Huge hills covered in picture perfect trees with blue cloudless skies overhead. I also saw some fields, even a few with irrigation systems, and cows, horses, goats. I was excited to see bits of the farm here!

After one of the most amazing sunsets, the dark night with its bright clear stars soon fell upon us. It was only 6pm, which seems early, but it is the winter season here, so dark comes much earlier than back at home. Around 8 that night and after having a ‘discussion’ of sorts with the Botswana border control to let us in the country, we finally arrived in Gaborone! After 3 days of traveling, we were finally in Africa!