pictures!
click the link and enjoy!
Monday, August 1, 2011
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Bittersweet.
Wow I don't even know where to begin. This last week has been truly bittersweet. Although I spent the last week of my study abroad adventure among great new friends in Northern Botswana on safari, I now am sitting in JFK, excited to venture home, but also already missing my new family and friends and finding it difficult to think how I can possibly sum up my experience when people ask me "How was it?"
But before I get too sentimental I'll catch you up on my safari adventure! After a sad farewell party on Friday night, 7 of us headed to the bus station at 5:30 to catch yet another long bus to Maun. Yet again it was a long trip with crowded crazy people and peeing behind whatever bush you could find. But eventually we made it to Maun and jumped on a safari truck to drive to our campsite. I was a little apprehensive sitting on the edge seat at first...no railing, high speeds and lots of wind. However after a week of bumpy roads and cold mornings I would get over this.
We booked our safari with Naga Safaris (Naga = bush in setswana) and discovered that it is a family run safari company and the father was the first trained black safari guide in Botswana. He was quite the character and told us his story around the campfire that night. His son, KG, was our driver for a week and was incredibly knowledgable, any question we threw at him he had an answer for, or at least an awkward laugh because he didn't want to respond. For example when we asked him if anyone had fallen out of the safari truck before he just laughed...later we realized that this iconic laugh usually meant yes.
Our lodging was well lets say high end camping. Every day after a long day of game drives/traveling we would pull up to a campsite....tents w/2 cots and an attachable bush bathroom. Rose was also our cook and made amazing meals. I don't know how she managed to make lasagna and the like on a campfire! Absolutely amazing! Although I had been expecting to sleep in a sleeping bag on the ground, getting a little spoiled was kind of nice.
Our first full day of driving was absolutely amazing...saw far more than I would have thought. We happened upon dozens of giraffes and elephants. We also stalked a lioness as she hunted some impala. However her hunt and our viewing was ended when a bird spoiled her presence...bye bye impala. We also came across a vehicle stuck in the mud/water and enjoyed watching KG's expertise as he drove them out. Note to self: do not rent your own vehicle and drive through deep water/mud in the middle of a National Park.
We also managed to watch lions mate that afternoon...a bit awkward, I felt like i was invading their personal space. We later happened upon some baboon mating as well, apparently lots of animals in Bots don't mind giving a free show.
We also had some scary/adrenaline rushing experiences. We were watching probably about 70 elephants or so when one of the moms thought we were a little too close (there were many babies around), so she started walking towards us making noises and putting up her ears....at least it was only a mock charge and she went away with the roaring of the engine (thanks KG). We also took a makoro ride one morning (traditional wooden shallow canoes) and had an encounter with 3 hippos. At first they were off in the distance, but then one disappeared, he came a little closer, then disappeared again. This time he reappeared about 30 feet or so from us....scary being that close to such a dangerous animal when you are in a very tippy canoe! Again he disappeared and we anticipated maybe having to make a dash for it, but he surfaced in the distance with the other 2 hippos. Apparently he didn't find us very threatening. Although later when we were in a bigger boat and got about 15 feet from a hippo on land, he stared to mock charge but my friend's scream apparently warded him off and he went back to his nap. We also saw many crocs....yet again incredibly close, maybe 5 feet. We came across one maybe 15feet in length (in his 70s) and had he been hungry we surely would have been on the menu.
Those are the most exciting stories, but we saw so many animals...elephants, giraffes, lions, zebras, kudos, impalas, steenbocks, wild janet, hyenas, cheetahs, wildebeests, bush babies, crocs, meerkats, birds galore and so many more. And we ended our trip with a sunset boat cruise on the Chobe River...not a bad way to finish the week off.
Thursday we flew back to Gabs (a little shorter route than busing!) and went out for one last meal at Moghul, our favorite indian restaurant. Friday afternoon the 7 of us began our journeys back to the states...luckily I was flying back to JFK with 3 of my good friends, although what should have been a very easy journey turned into a bit of chaos. Our flight from Gabs got delayed 2 hours so we were nervous about missing our flight to JFK. After lots of arguing, pushing and being abandoned, we finally got new boarding tickets for a flight that left a little earlier. Although in the end the new flight left when our old delayed flight would have anyways because of so many passengers switching and paperwork confusion. We arrived in Jo'Burg at 7:50 and our flight left at 8:30. After running through security, we sprinted to our terminal, lucky to find it still boarding. With a little convincing, I was able to sit next to one of my friends, which made the flight go much smoother (although I still only slept 2 hours). Although we arrived to JFK safely and on time, my baggage did not. Now I only hope that it will be on the flight tomorrow, otherwise my family is out of luck on getting their gifts. I could careless about all of my clothes, but there are a few things I accumulated that I would hate to loose. cross your fingers! Now I am sitting in JFK waiting for my 4pm flight...at least its not a bad airport to be stuck in for 9 hours!
I am so excited to be home and see my family and friends. Although a part of me also wishes I could have stayed in Bots a little longer. I was finally really beginning to feel comfortable with my family and Gabs. I no longer felt like a tourist jumping on a combi and shouting mo stopong! Many of us were talking about how we wished our family and friends could have come and visited us for a week so we could have stayed longer!
However I am excited to leave behind the work ethic I experienced in many places. Things just move much slower. I also will not miss being hit on constantly and being called "legkoa" when I walk down the street. Although at the same time I have become more relaxed and hope to balance the relaxed thinking with the hectic mindset of school. Everyone needs a little balance in life...it just takes lots of discover and practice.
I also am anticipating reverse culture shock. I felt that I knew relatively what to expect traveling to Botswana so living there was not a huge adjustment (although I still learned so much!), however adjusting back to the American lifestyle will be a bit of a challenge. I have learned to live with just the necessities...living out of a backpack really shows you what you need and can leave behind. It will be hard to go back to the material world where people have so much but sometimes appreciate very little. Already in New York I am a little thrown off by the technology everywhere even though I have been here before. And as odd as it sounds its going to be weird not being the minority. Being the minority for 2 months really gave me a different perspective I will never forget.
And just a heads up, you will hear me say some odd phrases. Without thinking I say "Eish" and "Is it?" and "shame"....these might be habits I wont get rid of, so get use to it! Also if I say "I'm coming" it really means I'm going and I'll be right back. an odd opposite phrase that I picked up.
It is also sad to leave my Gabs family behind. I was their first American student and right as I left they found out they were hosting a new student for 4 months. I got the odd feeling that I was being replaced. Although I know that my family will always remember me, as I will them. They insisted that I stay in touch and who knows, maybe someday they will come to visit me! My sister was really sweet and called me in the airport to tell me how much she enjoyed having me and how much she will miss me, she almost brought me to tears!
I received a package a year or two back when I was at school from my mom. She sent me a bunch of frog bath toys...it turned out to then me a tradition that whenever my parents or I traveled we would take a different frog with us. I found one stowed away in my luggage the last week of my trip as I was packing. I then named it Bontle (my setswana name) and gave it to my nephew so maybe he will remember me when he gets a little older. Apparently he loves it! Bontle is the first frog to stay where he/she visited and I think she will like her new home!
Although I learned so much working in the clinics in Gabs, I think we all have this idea that when we travel abroad as I did we will have some spectacular moment where we realize what we want to do in life, not so much the case. I thought I would have some moment of realization in the clinic that would help me decide where I go from here. Still up in the air. But I have a new found (and not surprisingly) love for traveling and discovering the unknown. I may have no idea whether I will go to med school, public health grad school, get a masters in social work, or be a safari guide, however I definitely will be taking a year off and potentially spend it teaching internationally. Although I am open to any suggestions!
A summer of adventure, learning and appreciation.
look for pictures soon...I'll try to post a link in the next few days once I sort through them all!
Then that will be my last blog until my next international adventure. Thanks to everyone who has been so supportive. I apologize for my lax writing style/grammar...time got away from me this summer. Too much to do and too much to see.
Go Siame. Sala Sentle. (Goodbye. Go well.)
But before I get too sentimental I'll catch you up on my safari adventure! After a sad farewell party on Friday night, 7 of us headed to the bus station at 5:30 to catch yet another long bus to Maun. Yet again it was a long trip with crowded crazy people and peeing behind whatever bush you could find. But eventually we made it to Maun and jumped on a safari truck to drive to our campsite. I was a little apprehensive sitting on the edge seat at first...no railing, high speeds and lots of wind. However after a week of bumpy roads and cold mornings I would get over this.
We booked our safari with Naga Safaris (Naga = bush in setswana) and discovered that it is a family run safari company and the father was the first trained black safari guide in Botswana. He was quite the character and told us his story around the campfire that night. His son, KG, was our driver for a week and was incredibly knowledgable, any question we threw at him he had an answer for, or at least an awkward laugh because he didn't want to respond. For example when we asked him if anyone had fallen out of the safari truck before he just laughed...later we realized that this iconic laugh usually meant yes.
Our lodging was well lets say high end camping. Every day after a long day of game drives/traveling we would pull up to a campsite....tents w/2 cots and an attachable bush bathroom. Rose was also our cook and made amazing meals. I don't know how she managed to make lasagna and the like on a campfire! Absolutely amazing! Although I had been expecting to sleep in a sleeping bag on the ground, getting a little spoiled was kind of nice.
Our first full day of driving was absolutely amazing...saw far more than I would have thought. We happened upon dozens of giraffes and elephants. We also stalked a lioness as she hunted some impala. However her hunt and our viewing was ended when a bird spoiled her presence...bye bye impala. We also came across a vehicle stuck in the mud/water and enjoyed watching KG's expertise as he drove them out. Note to self: do not rent your own vehicle and drive through deep water/mud in the middle of a National Park.
We also managed to watch lions mate that afternoon...a bit awkward, I felt like i was invading their personal space. We later happened upon some baboon mating as well, apparently lots of animals in Bots don't mind giving a free show.
We also had some scary/adrenaline rushing experiences. We were watching probably about 70 elephants or so when one of the moms thought we were a little too close (there were many babies around), so she started walking towards us making noises and putting up her ears....at least it was only a mock charge and she went away with the roaring of the engine (thanks KG). We also took a makoro ride one morning (traditional wooden shallow canoes) and had an encounter with 3 hippos. At first they were off in the distance, but then one disappeared, he came a little closer, then disappeared again. This time he reappeared about 30 feet or so from us....scary being that close to such a dangerous animal when you are in a very tippy canoe! Again he disappeared and we anticipated maybe having to make a dash for it, but he surfaced in the distance with the other 2 hippos. Apparently he didn't find us very threatening. Although later when we were in a bigger boat and got about 15 feet from a hippo on land, he stared to mock charge but my friend's scream apparently warded him off and he went back to his nap. We also saw many crocs....yet again incredibly close, maybe 5 feet. We came across one maybe 15feet in length (in his 70s) and had he been hungry we surely would have been on the menu.
Those are the most exciting stories, but we saw so many animals...elephants, giraffes, lions, zebras, kudos, impalas, steenbocks, wild janet, hyenas, cheetahs, wildebeests, bush babies, crocs, meerkats, birds galore and so many more. And we ended our trip with a sunset boat cruise on the Chobe River...not a bad way to finish the week off.
Thursday we flew back to Gabs (a little shorter route than busing!) and went out for one last meal at Moghul, our favorite indian restaurant. Friday afternoon the 7 of us began our journeys back to the states...luckily I was flying back to JFK with 3 of my good friends, although what should have been a very easy journey turned into a bit of chaos. Our flight from Gabs got delayed 2 hours so we were nervous about missing our flight to JFK. After lots of arguing, pushing and being abandoned, we finally got new boarding tickets for a flight that left a little earlier. Although in the end the new flight left when our old delayed flight would have anyways because of so many passengers switching and paperwork confusion. We arrived in Jo'Burg at 7:50 and our flight left at 8:30. After running through security, we sprinted to our terminal, lucky to find it still boarding. With a little convincing, I was able to sit next to one of my friends, which made the flight go much smoother (although I still only slept 2 hours). Although we arrived to JFK safely and on time, my baggage did not. Now I only hope that it will be on the flight tomorrow, otherwise my family is out of luck on getting their gifts. I could careless about all of my clothes, but there are a few things I accumulated that I would hate to loose. cross your fingers! Now I am sitting in JFK waiting for my 4pm flight...at least its not a bad airport to be stuck in for 9 hours!
I am so excited to be home and see my family and friends. Although a part of me also wishes I could have stayed in Bots a little longer. I was finally really beginning to feel comfortable with my family and Gabs. I no longer felt like a tourist jumping on a combi and shouting mo stopong! Many of us were talking about how we wished our family and friends could have come and visited us for a week so we could have stayed longer!
However I am excited to leave behind the work ethic I experienced in many places. Things just move much slower. I also will not miss being hit on constantly and being called "legkoa" when I walk down the street. Although at the same time I have become more relaxed and hope to balance the relaxed thinking with the hectic mindset of school. Everyone needs a little balance in life...it just takes lots of discover and practice.
I also am anticipating reverse culture shock. I felt that I knew relatively what to expect traveling to Botswana so living there was not a huge adjustment (although I still learned so much!), however adjusting back to the American lifestyle will be a bit of a challenge. I have learned to live with just the necessities...living out of a backpack really shows you what you need and can leave behind. It will be hard to go back to the material world where people have so much but sometimes appreciate very little. Already in New York I am a little thrown off by the technology everywhere even though I have been here before. And as odd as it sounds its going to be weird not being the minority. Being the minority for 2 months really gave me a different perspective I will never forget.
And just a heads up, you will hear me say some odd phrases. Without thinking I say "Eish" and "Is it?" and "shame"....these might be habits I wont get rid of, so get use to it! Also if I say "I'm coming" it really means I'm going and I'll be right back. an odd opposite phrase that I picked up.
It is also sad to leave my Gabs family behind. I was their first American student and right as I left they found out they were hosting a new student for 4 months. I got the odd feeling that I was being replaced. Although I know that my family will always remember me, as I will them. They insisted that I stay in touch and who knows, maybe someday they will come to visit me! My sister was really sweet and called me in the airport to tell me how much she enjoyed having me and how much she will miss me, she almost brought me to tears!
I received a package a year or two back when I was at school from my mom. She sent me a bunch of frog bath toys...it turned out to then me a tradition that whenever my parents or I traveled we would take a different frog with us. I found one stowed away in my luggage the last week of my trip as I was packing. I then named it Bontle (my setswana name) and gave it to my nephew so maybe he will remember me when he gets a little older. Apparently he loves it! Bontle is the first frog to stay where he/she visited and I think she will like her new home!
Although I learned so much working in the clinics in Gabs, I think we all have this idea that when we travel abroad as I did we will have some spectacular moment where we realize what we want to do in life, not so much the case. I thought I would have some moment of realization in the clinic that would help me decide where I go from here. Still up in the air. But I have a new found (and not surprisingly) love for traveling and discovering the unknown. I may have no idea whether I will go to med school, public health grad school, get a masters in social work, or be a safari guide, however I definitely will be taking a year off and potentially spend it teaching internationally. Although I am open to any suggestions!
A summer of adventure, learning and appreciation.
look for pictures soon...I'll try to post a link in the next few days once I sort through them all!
Then that will be my last blog until my next international adventure. Thanks to everyone who has been so supportive. I apologize for my lax writing style/grammar...time got away from me this summer. Too much to do and too much to see.
Go Siame. Sala Sentle. (Goodbye. Go well.)
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
1 down, 6 to go!
Bwanji, (hello in Nyanja, a language spoke in Zambia)
I saw one of the seven natural wonders of the world this weekend! Although it took a lot of effort and adventure to get there. Friday night we waited for our bus at 6pm, although as expected it was late. It didn't arrive until after 8, then we drove around at the station for probably an hour and a half because they couldn't find the 2nd bus driver, but we couldn't exactly tell what the hold up was. All the meanwhile a crazy many on the bus kept ranting and yelling at the bus company, made it a little hard to sleep.
The bus was 3 seats on 1 side, 2 on the other, doesn't leave much room for anything. And no bathroom. Although the bus driver would stop if you asked him to, there wasn't much of a stop anywhere. This meant finding a corner or a bush that was somewhat but not really out of view so you could do your business. By the 2nd time I had to go to the bathroom I really wished I was a guy, would've made things much easier! The few times we did stop at a gas station or a place with an outhouse, the line was too long, there was no toilet paper, and the smell was repulsive (so bad I even choose to find a place outside to pee many times). We also stopped in the middle of the night at a foot and mouth disease check point. This meant that we all had to get off the bus with all our stuff, and walk through this muddy liquid to get rid of any chance of transferring the disease. I also got sick at 2am until about 7, so my bus ride was a little less than enjoyable across the bumpy roads of northern botswana.
But nonetheless we made it to the border of Zambia and Botswana, paid our fee, got stamped and were on our way. We took a ferry across the river (where you can see Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe) and managed to convince a taxi driver to drive all 5 of us to Livingstone where the hostel was. Although there were 2 check points along the way so we met his friend and 2 of us jumped in his car to get us through the check points...lets just say this all made for a very interesting morning.
The rest of the day was great, we got settled into our 3 bunk bed room and headed to town. We found this great restaurant called Cafe Zambezi where we met the owner and his girlfriend. They had just opened the week before and the food was amazing! He even gave us a free pizza so we could tell him how it was. he then gave us a lift in the back of his bakkie (truck) to the craft market. People in Zambia are so nice!
Sunday started off early with an elephant ride. yes I said elephant. We each mounted a elephant with an elephant trainer. The company has about 7 elephants. They ride them twice a day, then feed them and let them graze on their own for the rest of the day. Since they are still out in the national park, there are wild elephants as well. One day the wild elephants took one of the females. She stayed with them a while, but then came back to the domesticated herd with a baby, Chabaruka, who gladly let me ride her. She is now 7 years old and plays mother to a 2 year old baby elephant the company found abandoned in the bush. The ride was amazing and just over an hour long. We walked through the bush as my guide told me about the park and the herd. We even went passed a tributary of the Zambezi river, which was beautiful early in the morning. After our walk we got to feed our animals, then they saluted us/thanked us.
We then spent the afternoon in the Victoria falls park. We walked right and were standing right over the falls, only about 20 feet from the edge, spectacular view! We then rented some fashionable ponchos and walked to the opposite side to view the falls. Glad we splurged the $! on the ponchos because there is so much mist that when you walk across the bridge to view the falls you get soaked. Although on a hot day I would've just stood there without a poncho! We also saw double rainbows and people bungee jumping from a nearby bridge (I was really tempted to sign up for the bungee jumping but thought about how my mom would kill me and decided against it). We ended they day with a sunset cruise on the Zambezi river going up stream from the falls. Life doesn't suck. Monday we relaxed at the back packers lodge and enjoyed our last day in Zambia.
The ride back was even longer than the way up. We left our hostel at 5:30am and wouldn't arrive in Gabs until almost 11pm. There is no direct bus on the way back so after we crossed the border we took 2 different buses home. Although this time we stopped 4 times at hoof and mouth disease checkpoints which included getting all of our stuff searched. By the time we got off the bus for the 4th one it was just kind of a joke. And apparently now none of us have any shame with going to the bathroom outside, when you gotta go you gotta go. Although on the way back we grabbed toilet paper from the hostel (Jollyboys). It was really hard to take the day bus back because you couldn't really sleep much so you just were bored out of your mind, especially with just the bush to look at out the windows. The day buses are also much hotter which means much smellier. On our first 5 hour bus they had over booked it (on purpose to get more money) so that meant people stood in the aisle ways, all the while knocking into us with their elbow and butts. On our second bus we broke down a few times, overheating the engine and hanging out on the side of the rode until it cooled off and we could get going again. As some of my friend say here, "Ah this is Africa". It was quite the adventure.
Today was clinic, tomorrow is class and an exam I just found out about (hopefully my setswana doesn't fail me), then its off to a diamond mine and the Okavango Delta.
Go Siame.
I saw one of the seven natural wonders of the world this weekend! Although it took a lot of effort and adventure to get there. Friday night we waited for our bus at 6pm, although as expected it was late. It didn't arrive until after 8, then we drove around at the station for probably an hour and a half because they couldn't find the 2nd bus driver, but we couldn't exactly tell what the hold up was. All the meanwhile a crazy many on the bus kept ranting and yelling at the bus company, made it a little hard to sleep.
The bus was 3 seats on 1 side, 2 on the other, doesn't leave much room for anything. And no bathroom. Although the bus driver would stop if you asked him to, there wasn't much of a stop anywhere. This meant finding a corner or a bush that was somewhat but not really out of view so you could do your business. By the 2nd time I had to go to the bathroom I really wished I was a guy, would've made things much easier! The few times we did stop at a gas station or a place with an outhouse, the line was too long, there was no toilet paper, and the smell was repulsive (so bad I even choose to find a place outside to pee many times). We also stopped in the middle of the night at a foot and mouth disease check point. This meant that we all had to get off the bus with all our stuff, and walk through this muddy liquid to get rid of any chance of transferring the disease. I also got sick at 2am until about 7, so my bus ride was a little less than enjoyable across the bumpy roads of northern botswana.
But nonetheless we made it to the border of Zambia and Botswana, paid our fee, got stamped and were on our way. We took a ferry across the river (where you can see Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe) and managed to convince a taxi driver to drive all 5 of us to Livingstone where the hostel was. Although there were 2 check points along the way so we met his friend and 2 of us jumped in his car to get us through the check points...lets just say this all made for a very interesting morning.
The rest of the day was great, we got settled into our 3 bunk bed room and headed to town. We found this great restaurant called Cafe Zambezi where we met the owner and his girlfriend. They had just opened the week before and the food was amazing! He even gave us a free pizza so we could tell him how it was. he then gave us a lift in the back of his bakkie (truck) to the craft market. People in Zambia are so nice!
Sunday started off early with an elephant ride. yes I said elephant. We each mounted a elephant with an elephant trainer. The company has about 7 elephants. They ride them twice a day, then feed them and let them graze on their own for the rest of the day. Since they are still out in the national park, there are wild elephants as well. One day the wild elephants took one of the females. She stayed with them a while, but then came back to the domesticated herd with a baby, Chabaruka, who gladly let me ride her. She is now 7 years old and plays mother to a 2 year old baby elephant the company found abandoned in the bush. The ride was amazing and just over an hour long. We walked through the bush as my guide told me about the park and the herd. We even went passed a tributary of the Zambezi river, which was beautiful early in the morning. After our walk we got to feed our animals, then they saluted us/thanked us.
We then spent the afternoon in the Victoria falls park. We walked right and were standing right over the falls, only about 20 feet from the edge, spectacular view! We then rented some fashionable ponchos and walked to the opposite side to view the falls. Glad we splurged the $! on the ponchos because there is so much mist that when you walk across the bridge to view the falls you get soaked. Although on a hot day I would've just stood there without a poncho! We also saw double rainbows and people bungee jumping from a nearby bridge (I was really tempted to sign up for the bungee jumping but thought about how my mom would kill me and decided against it). We ended they day with a sunset cruise on the Zambezi river going up stream from the falls. Life doesn't suck. Monday we relaxed at the back packers lodge and enjoyed our last day in Zambia.
The ride back was even longer than the way up. We left our hostel at 5:30am and wouldn't arrive in Gabs until almost 11pm. There is no direct bus on the way back so after we crossed the border we took 2 different buses home. Although this time we stopped 4 times at hoof and mouth disease checkpoints which included getting all of our stuff searched. By the time we got off the bus for the 4th one it was just kind of a joke. And apparently now none of us have any shame with going to the bathroom outside, when you gotta go you gotta go. Although on the way back we grabbed toilet paper from the hostel (Jollyboys). It was really hard to take the day bus back because you couldn't really sleep much so you just were bored out of your mind, especially with just the bush to look at out the windows. The day buses are also much hotter which means much smellier. On our first 5 hour bus they had over booked it (on purpose to get more money) so that meant people stood in the aisle ways, all the while knocking into us with their elbow and butts. On our second bus we broke down a few times, overheating the engine and hanging out on the side of the rode until it cooled off and we could get going again. As some of my friend say here, "Ah this is Africa". It was quite the adventure.
Today was clinic, tomorrow is class and an exam I just found out about (hopefully my setswana doesn't fail me), then its off to a diamond mine and the Okavango Delta.
Go Siame.
Thursday, July 14, 2011
A busy 2 weeks...
Sorry I haven't updated lately, its been a pretty relaxed week. Last week a girl who won a competition through CIEE (the study abroad program) came and visited Gabs. In a little less than 3 months she is visiting all of CIEE's summer programs in Africa and South America. On the way she takes pictures, blogs, and interviews students so CIEE can make a short clip on each program.
So on Thursday night a few of us took her out to Moghul...an amazing indian food place. Who would have thought that I'd find my love for Indian food in Botswana? Friday she visited our class in the morning, then went with my friend Sierra and I to our clinic we work in. She got to see the clinic and take a few pictures of what we do. She then interviewed both of us...so apparently I might be in a few different documentaries?! Although I hate being interviewed so I will probably never watch the clips I am in. We then went to the Sanitas Tea Garden for lunch and had an amazing meal and dessert.The rest of the weekend was pretty uneventful, just enjoyed my last weekend with my family and worked on some final papers.
Monday and Tuesday we had class all day, the usual lectures, then 2 different ones. A man who is president of one of the opposition parties came and talked to us about Botswana politices. He really emphasized how the Botswana Democracy Party (BDP) has been in power since independence even though Botswana is a multi-party democracy. Recently the BDP has split and some of the party has gone to the Botswana movement for Democracy party (BMD). Meanwhile the opposition parties have formed a new confederation. In past elections the opposition parties have split important votes so they have decided to join forces. This means that the upcoming election could be very interesting...I'll have to keep tabs on in when I come home!
I was also very surprised to hear that the president isn't chosen directly. As a citizen, you vote for a local area counsel and member of parliament. Before election, candidates for president have to contest at the high court and need 1000 voters to support them. If 2 candidates are in the race, then the first candidate to gain 31 MPs (out of 60), is declared president. If there are 3 candidates and no one gets to 31, then the parliament votes by majority. The President then has executive power and gets to choose members of cabinet, judge of the high court, etc...
Our second new lecture was our Setswana Teacher, but this time she taught in english and told us about weddings (lenyalos). Weddings use to be arranged by the parents, which meant a lot of bargaining. Eventually the male's family would pay a bogadi, or what we think of as a bride wealth. This would usually be in cattle, and always had to be in an even number. It is also considered not as a payment, but as an investment in the marriage. the uncle, or Malome, plays a big role in the wedding and the negotiations. The lenyalo takes place early in the morning then there is a big festivity. The wife is then taken to the man's family by a line of married women, carrying all of her belongings. That night they send you and your husband into a hut for the night. Old women sit outside the hut and listen throughout the night to see if anything happens. If not, the new couple has to stay a second night. If nothing happens after the second night (because the couple doesn't know how to do it), they send the brother-in-law into the hut to have sex with the wife while the husband watches. This way he will know how to do it next time. If she gets pregnant by the brother it doesn't matter because it is still the same bloodline. (at this point in the lecture we were all a little stunned). the next morning the new wife must make tea and coffee for all the men in the kgotla (traditional meeting place) to make sure she is a woman.
*mind you this is the way of the old weddings, called bogologolo. Now they are called gompieno and are more more similar to American weddings. Kids now have much more independence when it comes to choosing their husband or wife. And now there is no need to have the old ladies sitting outside the hut/house because of media and the education that has brought to all the youth.
Another interesting story...Setswana is a very indirect language. A man once came to a chief and said that his wife was "refusing blankets". the chief told him to go get some more blankets. The chief didn't realize that the man was telling him that his wife was refusing to have sex with him. People also refer to condoms as the setswana word for sock (only heard it so im not sure how to spell it, sorry!)
Wednesday was just another day at clinic. I spent most of the morning in the CWC (child welfare clinic)weighing babies. after a little while the nurse that I was suppose to be working with would take longer and longer breaks, so I pretty much just ended up doing the work myself. We recorded their birth certificate number, their birthdate, their sex, what their mother was feeding them, their weight, their health, if they needed rations, and if they had been tested for HIV. In less than 3 hours, we saw about 50 kids all under the age of 4. You hang the babies in a bag that the mothers bring from a scale. They swing there and most of them cry, but as they get older they get use to the bag and behave a little better. Saw lots of healthy babies, although it was hard to tell if they were truly health because we were not recording height. I then spent the rest of the morning sorting pills. Since we weren't being of much help we decided to knock off early.
Tomorrow I leave for Zambia/Vic Falls. We leave from the bus rank at 6pm and ride overnight, getting into Kasane about 6am. Should be a long trip with few bathroom breaks. No liquids for me. Once we get to Kasane, we have to catch a combi/taxi to the border, then take a ferry across and then a bus/taxi to Livingstone where the backpackers lodge is we will be staying at. Just 2 days of clinic once I return, a trip to a diamond mine, and a farewell party before I head to the delta for a week...where has time gone?
Ke Botshelo (This is life)
So on Thursday night a few of us took her out to Moghul...an amazing indian food place. Who would have thought that I'd find my love for Indian food in Botswana? Friday she visited our class in the morning, then went with my friend Sierra and I to our clinic we work in. She got to see the clinic and take a few pictures of what we do. She then interviewed both of us...so apparently I might be in a few different documentaries?! Although I hate being interviewed so I will probably never watch the clips I am in. We then went to the Sanitas Tea Garden for lunch and had an amazing meal and dessert.The rest of the weekend was pretty uneventful, just enjoyed my last weekend with my family and worked on some final papers.
Monday and Tuesday we had class all day, the usual lectures, then 2 different ones. A man who is president of one of the opposition parties came and talked to us about Botswana politices. He really emphasized how the Botswana Democracy Party (BDP) has been in power since independence even though Botswana is a multi-party democracy. Recently the BDP has split and some of the party has gone to the Botswana movement for Democracy party (BMD). Meanwhile the opposition parties have formed a new confederation. In past elections the opposition parties have split important votes so they have decided to join forces. This means that the upcoming election could be very interesting...I'll have to keep tabs on in when I come home!
I was also very surprised to hear that the president isn't chosen directly. As a citizen, you vote for a local area counsel and member of parliament. Before election, candidates for president have to contest at the high court and need 1000 voters to support them. If 2 candidates are in the race, then the first candidate to gain 31 MPs (out of 60), is declared president. If there are 3 candidates and no one gets to 31, then the parliament votes by majority. The President then has executive power and gets to choose members of cabinet, judge of the high court, etc...
Our second new lecture was our Setswana Teacher, but this time she taught in english and told us about weddings (lenyalos). Weddings use to be arranged by the parents, which meant a lot of bargaining. Eventually the male's family would pay a bogadi, or what we think of as a bride wealth. This would usually be in cattle, and always had to be in an even number. It is also considered not as a payment, but as an investment in the marriage. the uncle, or Malome, plays a big role in the wedding and the negotiations. The lenyalo takes place early in the morning then there is a big festivity. The wife is then taken to the man's family by a line of married women, carrying all of her belongings. That night they send you and your husband into a hut for the night. Old women sit outside the hut and listen throughout the night to see if anything happens. If not, the new couple has to stay a second night. If nothing happens after the second night (because the couple doesn't know how to do it), they send the brother-in-law into the hut to have sex with the wife while the husband watches. This way he will know how to do it next time. If she gets pregnant by the brother it doesn't matter because it is still the same bloodline. (at this point in the lecture we were all a little stunned). the next morning the new wife must make tea and coffee for all the men in the kgotla (traditional meeting place) to make sure she is a woman.
*mind you this is the way of the old weddings, called bogologolo. Now they are called gompieno and are more more similar to American weddings. Kids now have much more independence when it comes to choosing their husband or wife. And now there is no need to have the old ladies sitting outside the hut/house because of media and the education that has brought to all the youth.
Another interesting story...Setswana is a very indirect language. A man once came to a chief and said that his wife was "refusing blankets". the chief told him to go get some more blankets. The chief didn't realize that the man was telling him that his wife was refusing to have sex with him. People also refer to condoms as the setswana word for sock (only heard it so im not sure how to spell it, sorry!)
Wednesday was just another day at clinic. I spent most of the morning in the CWC (child welfare clinic)weighing babies. after a little while the nurse that I was suppose to be working with would take longer and longer breaks, so I pretty much just ended up doing the work myself. We recorded their birth certificate number, their birthdate, their sex, what their mother was feeding them, their weight, their health, if they needed rations, and if they had been tested for HIV. In less than 3 hours, we saw about 50 kids all under the age of 4. You hang the babies in a bag that the mothers bring from a scale. They swing there and most of them cry, but as they get older they get use to the bag and behave a little better. Saw lots of healthy babies, although it was hard to tell if they were truly health because we were not recording height. I then spent the rest of the morning sorting pills. Since we weren't being of much help we decided to knock off early.
Tomorrow I leave for Zambia/Vic Falls. We leave from the bus rank at 6pm and ride overnight, getting into Kasane about 6am. Should be a long trip with few bathroom breaks. No liquids for me. Once we get to Kasane, we have to catch a combi/taxi to the border, then take a ferry across and then a bus/taxi to Livingstone where the backpackers lodge is we will be staying at. Just 2 days of clinic once I return, a trip to a diamond mine, and a farewell party before I head to the delta for a week...where has time gone?
Ke Botshelo (This is life)
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
chickens, rhinos, and diamonds
I left Mochudi behind and returned to my very welcoming Gabs family. On Saturday we headed out to my ma's chicken farm for a braai. After picking my friend up we took a 2hour drive a little past Mahalpaye, one of the biggest villages in Botswana. We visited the 1000 2week old chickens, but apparently my ma is planning to get more, rotating so she will have about 6,000 at one time! We also saw more puppies, played some futbol, drank some cider and grilled out. They left the grilling to sierra and i which was interesting, although we didn't do too bad and the meat turned out great. We enjoyed the steak, sausages and pap then headed back to Gabs at about dusk because there is no electricity there (and no bathroom :( ). I also learned that I have been pronouncing their staple food, maize meal, pop not pap. whoops. learn something new each day!
Sunday was a nice and relaxing day. I made breakfast for everyone, sausage, potatoes, and that bread that you put an egg in the middle and fry. It went over quite well. I also finished the day off with eggplant parmesan, yet another success, definitely my family's favorite so far. Not sure whats next so feel free to give me some suggestions...anything easy with common ingredients.
Monday we headed out to Serowe's Khama Rhino Sanctuary. We went to the station and took a public bus for about four hours. About an hour in it began to get really really hot. More and more people started to get on even though there were no open seats, this meant a lot of people's buts and elbows in our faces...talk about lack of personal space. Finally someone opened the emergency exit hatch to let some air in, but some other guy shut it. All of us were about to faint from the heat.
Nonetheless we arrived in Serowe and grabbed some dinner at the restaurant. Initially we were going to camp but it was just way too cold at night so we ended up in these 6 bed bunk rooms, surprisingly warm with only a few bugs. Our tuesday started off pretty early with a game drive at 6. It was still dark out so we layered on the clothes and grabbed some blankets. You would be amazed how cold it is here when its dark. Feels like a frosty morning i WI, but the open truck means lots of wind too.
After about an hour we hadn't seen much and were getting a little worried we wouldn't see anything more than a few impalas and kudos. However we found a few giraffes just up the road about 20 feet away. They were not as skiddish and afraid as those in Mokolodi, but they were much smaller in size. After another few minutes we ran across a herd of zebras! beautiful animals and I was surprised to find out that this type has black and brown stripes. Got lots of pictures but my camera doesn't have the most megapixels so I hope they turn out.
We then came upon about 3 white rhinos. although they were hiding behind a bush so they were a little hard to see. Later we would get much better pictures. The guide was great and told us about how when rhinos began to become endangered they reintroduced them and made a rhino sanctuary. they now have 4500 hectares, 37 white rhinos and 4 black rhinos. Although they both are light in color they have differences in their jawline, how long they live and gestation periods. It was also interesting to learn that each male has his own territory and about 4 or 5 female rhinos. Male rhinos scrap at their poop droppings to make their mark while females just leave it alone.
Along with the typical animals you think of when you think of Africa, we saw water beasts, kudos, red hearted beasts, impalas, springbok, sternbock, and many birds. The Sternbock were hard to spot, but they are amazing, they are the smallest antelope. The springbok on the other hand were many in numbers and absolutely beautiful...brown and white with a dark stripe and gorgeous horns. Many of them even came within 5 feet of the truck.
We had free time after the morning drive until 4 so we decided to get a little exercise in. A few of us did abs, jumping jacks, and sprints...however now we are incredibly sore. We all miss working out! Almost no one here runs. The only people I see running in gabs are white people (lekgowas). We enjoyed a lazy afternoon then headed out for another game drive. This time we found many more rhinos (too cold in the morning to be in the open). We enjoyed a buffet after the drive around an open campfire where we roasted s'mores to celebrate the 4th of July (a day late).
Wednesday morning was a little brutal. We were up and on the move at 5:30, it doesn't get light until after 6:30 so its bitter cold. We also drove all the way from the sanctuary to the city center on the open backed safari trucks. This was about 20 or 30 minutes of brutal winds on our faces hurling down the road at 80km/hr. Quite the adventure and glad no animals decided to cross the road. But we made it in time to catch the bus back to gabs, another 4 hours on a bus, but this time we were frozen...took us a while to recover from the truck ride.
In the afternoon we visited the De Beers Diamond Trading Company of Botswana (DTCB). This is the largest sorting facility of diamonds, sorting and valuing almost 40 million diamonds a year. In the 1800s a man bought a farm in England from the DeBeers brothers which turned out to be one of the largest diamond mines. Now the DeBeers company has partnered with the government of Botswana to become the largest producer of diamonds. Before the discovery of diamonds in Botswana, the country was the 3rd poorest in the world with less than 10km of paved roads. Now that the diamond industry has taken off, Botswana is one of the most successful countries in Africa. Half of the countries revenue comes from the diamond industry. diamonds are to thank for the amazing development projects and health care system. One of the first places that diamonds were discovered is a place called Jwaneng. Jwaneng means "Stone" because the people would come across sparkly stones...this became very ironic when geologists discovered they were diamonds. Jwaneng mine is now the largest in Botswana (and I believe the world). Luckily we will be visiting it on the last day of the program! if you discover a diamond on the ground of the mine they polish and value it for you and you can buy it at 1/2 price. Cross your fingers for me!
The facility now is the most secure in Botswana. We had to leave all our belongings behind, bring our passports and get a visitor's card. It's an incredible building and I a lucky enough I was allowed inside! One of the communications directors gave us a presentation about the company and process. On the 1st floor they sorted less than 1 carat diamonds with machines then hands, on the 2nd was greater than 1 carat diamonds sorted by hand. They were sorted according to the 4 c's...color, Carat, cut, clarity. Less than 1 carat comprises 70% of the diamonds that come in, although the 30% of bigger diamonds contribute to 80% of the profit. All the diamonds sorted at the DTCB are from Botswana mines, they then are valued and shipped off to London to be aggregated with diamonds from canada, namibia, and south africa. then they are sent back to the countries to be cut and polished. However soon the London process of aggregating might move to Botswana. More people are also beginning to cut and polish diamonds in the country (16 facilities and 3000 new jobs). If Botswana can continue to improve and move beyond only dealing with raw diamonds, its economy will continue to be sustained and boosted by the diamond industry.
After learning about the company we got to see diamonds! Although they were beginning to pack up for the day, we were able to see a few piles of diamonds on each floor, probably worth millions of dollars. we saw 2 carat diamonds that looked flawless even in their raw form (octahedral!). Every morning they weigh the diamonds given to sorters, then weigh at the end of the day to make sure they match up, if not, the whole place shuts down until the diamond(s) are found.
random thoughts...
- everyone but about 4 of us are sick...lets hope I can fight it off for another few weeks!
- white rhinos live to 45, black to 40
- my ma use to work for De Beers as an administrator
- started to take my antimalarials...no bad side effects so far!
- leave for victoria falls in a week...time is flying!
Sunday was a nice and relaxing day. I made breakfast for everyone, sausage, potatoes, and that bread that you put an egg in the middle and fry. It went over quite well. I also finished the day off with eggplant parmesan, yet another success, definitely my family's favorite so far. Not sure whats next so feel free to give me some suggestions...anything easy with common ingredients.
Monday we headed out to Serowe's Khama Rhino Sanctuary. We went to the station and took a public bus for about four hours. About an hour in it began to get really really hot. More and more people started to get on even though there were no open seats, this meant a lot of people's buts and elbows in our faces...talk about lack of personal space. Finally someone opened the emergency exit hatch to let some air in, but some other guy shut it. All of us were about to faint from the heat.
Nonetheless we arrived in Serowe and grabbed some dinner at the restaurant. Initially we were going to camp but it was just way too cold at night so we ended up in these 6 bed bunk rooms, surprisingly warm with only a few bugs. Our tuesday started off pretty early with a game drive at 6. It was still dark out so we layered on the clothes and grabbed some blankets. You would be amazed how cold it is here when its dark. Feels like a frosty morning i WI, but the open truck means lots of wind too.
After about an hour we hadn't seen much and were getting a little worried we wouldn't see anything more than a few impalas and kudos. However we found a few giraffes just up the road about 20 feet away. They were not as skiddish and afraid as those in Mokolodi, but they were much smaller in size. After another few minutes we ran across a herd of zebras! beautiful animals and I was surprised to find out that this type has black and brown stripes. Got lots of pictures but my camera doesn't have the most megapixels so I hope they turn out.
We then came upon about 3 white rhinos. although they were hiding behind a bush so they were a little hard to see. Later we would get much better pictures. The guide was great and told us about how when rhinos began to become endangered they reintroduced them and made a rhino sanctuary. they now have 4500 hectares, 37 white rhinos and 4 black rhinos. Although they both are light in color they have differences in their jawline, how long they live and gestation periods. It was also interesting to learn that each male has his own territory and about 4 or 5 female rhinos. Male rhinos scrap at their poop droppings to make their mark while females just leave it alone.
Along with the typical animals you think of when you think of Africa, we saw water beasts, kudos, red hearted beasts, impalas, springbok, sternbock, and many birds. The Sternbock were hard to spot, but they are amazing, they are the smallest antelope. The springbok on the other hand were many in numbers and absolutely beautiful...brown and white with a dark stripe and gorgeous horns. Many of them even came within 5 feet of the truck.
We had free time after the morning drive until 4 so we decided to get a little exercise in. A few of us did abs, jumping jacks, and sprints...however now we are incredibly sore. We all miss working out! Almost no one here runs. The only people I see running in gabs are white people (lekgowas). We enjoyed a lazy afternoon then headed out for another game drive. This time we found many more rhinos (too cold in the morning to be in the open). We enjoyed a buffet after the drive around an open campfire where we roasted s'mores to celebrate the 4th of July (a day late).
Wednesday morning was a little brutal. We were up and on the move at 5:30, it doesn't get light until after 6:30 so its bitter cold. We also drove all the way from the sanctuary to the city center on the open backed safari trucks. This was about 20 or 30 minutes of brutal winds on our faces hurling down the road at 80km/hr. Quite the adventure and glad no animals decided to cross the road. But we made it in time to catch the bus back to gabs, another 4 hours on a bus, but this time we were frozen...took us a while to recover from the truck ride.
In the afternoon we visited the De Beers Diamond Trading Company of Botswana (DTCB). This is the largest sorting facility of diamonds, sorting and valuing almost 40 million diamonds a year. In the 1800s a man bought a farm in England from the DeBeers brothers which turned out to be one of the largest diamond mines. Now the DeBeers company has partnered with the government of Botswana to become the largest producer of diamonds. Before the discovery of diamonds in Botswana, the country was the 3rd poorest in the world with less than 10km of paved roads. Now that the diamond industry has taken off, Botswana is one of the most successful countries in Africa. Half of the countries revenue comes from the diamond industry. diamonds are to thank for the amazing development projects and health care system. One of the first places that diamonds were discovered is a place called Jwaneng. Jwaneng means "Stone" because the people would come across sparkly stones...this became very ironic when geologists discovered they were diamonds. Jwaneng mine is now the largest in Botswana (and I believe the world). Luckily we will be visiting it on the last day of the program! if you discover a diamond on the ground of the mine they polish and value it for you and you can buy it at 1/2 price. Cross your fingers for me!
The facility now is the most secure in Botswana. We had to leave all our belongings behind, bring our passports and get a visitor's card. It's an incredible building and I a lucky enough I was allowed inside! One of the communications directors gave us a presentation about the company and process. On the 1st floor they sorted less than 1 carat diamonds with machines then hands, on the 2nd was greater than 1 carat diamonds sorted by hand. They were sorted according to the 4 c's...color, Carat, cut, clarity. Less than 1 carat comprises 70% of the diamonds that come in, although the 30% of bigger diamonds contribute to 80% of the profit. All the diamonds sorted at the DTCB are from Botswana mines, they then are valued and shipped off to London to be aggregated with diamonds from canada, namibia, and south africa. then they are sent back to the countries to be cut and polished. However soon the London process of aggregating might move to Botswana. More people are also beginning to cut and polish diamonds in the country (16 facilities and 3000 new jobs). If Botswana can continue to improve and move beyond only dealing with raw diamonds, its economy will continue to be sustained and boosted by the diamond industry.
After learning about the company we got to see diamonds! Although they were beginning to pack up for the day, we were able to see a few piles of diamonds on each floor, probably worth millions of dollars. we saw 2 carat diamonds that looked flawless even in their raw form (octahedral!). Every morning they weigh the diamonds given to sorters, then weigh at the end of the day to make sure they match up, if not, the whole place shuts down until the diamond(s) are found.
random thoughts...
- everyone but about 4 of us are sick...lets hope I can fight it off for another few weeks!
- white rhinos live to 45, black to 40
- my ma use to work for De Beers as an administrator
- started to take my antimalarials...no bad side effects so far!
- leave for victoria falls in a week...time is flying!
Saturday, July 2, 2011
lowering expectations
Well my village home stay in Mochudi wasn't what I expected. I actually ended up taking a public bus back to Gabs yesterday afternoon instead of staying until Sunday. I had a long week and it was quite the experience.
All 22 of us left for Mochudi last Saturday. One by one we were dropped off at our houses. As we dropped people off we started to get into lower income areas. I was the 2nd to last dropped off. I was completely fine with living in a lower income area, but I wasn't expecting the family I lived with. The director and I knocked and finally an older lady came around the back of the house. The director left and the woman didn't say a word to me, showed me into the outer house, pointed to a bed and put my stuff down. I followed her into the house because I didn't know what else to do. She turned on the tv, said "TV", pointed to a chair, and said "sit". So i sat there and watched BTV the local channel which at this time was all in Setswana. After a while my friend Shelby came over with her sister because they lived just down the street. They took me out for a walk so I didn't just have to sit there, I was so lucky that I was placed near someone else!
that night I awkwardly sat there eating dinner with a mom who didn't speak more than a few english words (like TV, sit, come, wash) and the 2 year old grandson who was terrified of me the first night because he had never seen a white person. Luckily Tumo (the grandson/my nephew) warmed up to me and would play with me the following nights, although he didn't speak any English either.
On Sunday, I was lucky that my 25 year old sister and mother to Tumo had taken the day off. She spoke English. Although it was a very boring day of just sitting around and walking to the museum that was closed and to the shops, at least she spoke English. Unfortunately she works at a bar so she would be gone every day from 2-10 or 11pm. My days started at 6am so I was in bed before 9pm, which meant many lonely nights with ma and Tumo. After a few days I started staying at Shelbys until it got dark out then heading home (gets dark at 6pm though!).
The food was interesting. It was good when Peanut, my sister, cooked on Sunday. But one day my ma just handed me a plate of maize meal with a bottle of mayo and ketchup. Another day she gave me a bowl of rice and canned fish. I felt obligated to eat it but it was less than enjoyable. Shelby even ate chicken feet (Minoto), but luckily I didn't have to. Although they do make very good bread and the fried bread called Fat Cakes. Shelby's ma showed us how to make them our last day in Mochudi....really simple, just bread flour, sugar, salt, water, and yeast, then you work it all in and deep fry it over a fire.
One day after clinic I went to open my room but found the door stuck. Ma eventually came out and tried to help but the language barrier proved difficult yet again and we couldn't really communicate. Couldn't reach my sister at work either so i slept in this twin bed in the other room with an unlocked door until she came home. didn't really sleep all that well considering there was a bar right across the street. Peanut then told me I wasn't suppose to shut my door to begin with...but no one had told me that so how was I suppose to know?!?! I also forgot one day and managed to get stuck inside my room. At this point in the trip it was just comical because I had already pressed the wrong button on the TV and turned on the broken kitchen sink so it leaked all week. No one had told me about the kitchen sink either. One day I was about to sit down in the outhouse when I noticed a colony of ants all over the seat. Glad I looked. Unfortunately they were there all week so I had to get used to them. The night I got locked out of my room was very interesting going to the toliet when I didn't have a flashlight, luckily my phone had a little light. I also woke up on my last morning to find ants all over my bag and clothes. Even shook the clothes I was already wearing and a few dropped out. The father came home on thursday night from the cattle post but he didn't speak any English either. When we ate dinner with his nephew (who spoke a little english), the father tried to tell me I should marry his nephew. The ma and father just kinda stared at me, spoke in setswana, then the nephew would awkwardly translate a few things. yet another awkward meal.
I'm also sick of being white! We stick out even more in Mochudi because its a little more rural. By day 2 everyone in the neighborhood knew where I was staying. When we would go into town to the "mall" everyone would stare. We were in the grocery store, Spar, when a guy came up to me, told me he loved me and asked for a kiss, then leaned in to try to get one (men are much more aggressive here). My friend Sierra got "auctioned off" in a combi and these two guys said they would give 12 cattle to marry her.
on a brighter note, I was always cheered up by the kids. Many of the kids in Mochudi haven't seen white people so they would just yell Legkowa, Legkowa! (White person) they also all would say hello and how are you. one day shelby and i were playing in the yard with my nephew when all these kids started coming up to the gate and just stared at us, we were like zoo animals. Eventually we went out and were chasing them around and they were all just laughing. Another day a group gathered in our front yard and we played catch/soccer for a while. Even though many of them didn't know english, they were all happy to see/play with us and had no judgements. Tumo also took to me although I never knew what he was rambling on about.
Although I had a rough time with the language barrier, everyone we met on the streets was very nice and said Dumela, le kae? And everyone was curious about why we were visiting. And im sure my ma had the best intentions, but she rarely smiled or laughed and since she only knew a few words she always sounded short and angry. Many times I would catch her just staring at me which was super awkward.
As for clinic work, it was no different than in Gabs, but this time there was a doctor only once a week and no pharmacist so the nurses do everything. We spent the majority of our time doing vitals and sorting pills. I went in one day to see if I could help weigh babies but she just said no. Another nurse wouldn't let us in the consult room because she said she'd only be speaking in Setswana. But luckily one day I sat in with the doctor, although we didn't see anything more than a cold he at least told me about how they rotate as doctors. One day the nurses were talking about something in the morning regarding closing the clinic and missing paperwork, I tried to ask what was going on but they just said clinic stuff...frustrating when you're trying to learn! The clinic (Boseja II) also doenst collect the 5 pula consult fee, when i asked why the nursing assistant just said we don't have a system in place. So all the patients we saw were getting free healthcare.
On our last day we went with the home based care volunteers to see 2 patients. They have a garden in the back of the clinic so they can give spinach and carrots to patients, but they don't have any transport so they walk everywhere. Both the patients we saw were older men who were stroke victims. The home based care volunteers arrange transport for them so they can go to the clinic and physical therapy occasionally, and in the case of the second patient, they even performed a little physical therapy even though they are just volunteers from the community. The second case was a particularly sad story, he lost his entire left side, was HIV+, living on pension, supporting a wife, a son, and a mentally challenged daughter but struggling to get by. Many times he couldn't go to the physical therapists because he didn't have the money. He kept asking us when we were coming back to help him so it was really hard realizing that he expected something from us and we were just there to learn. At least one of the healthcare assistants who had come along to translate for us got his number to help arrange transport. Its amazing that these older women volunteer their time when they live in the same community and don't have much to give themselves. We were also quite the site...3 older women and 4 white students in long white lab coats walking down dirt roads while animals wondered everywhere.
Random thoughts...
- robot = stop light
- theater = the operating room
- beer is for men, women are suppose to drink cider (in Mochudi)
- they make traditional beer, shake shake/chibuka, in old milk cartons.
- stars were beautiful, village was LOUD
- greet everyone by holding your elbow with your left hand as you shake hands
- forgot shampoo for the week...yuck
- bathed in less than an inch of water...made me even miss baths in gabs
- miss hot water and soap!!!
- miss tp in public restrooms
- crave fresh veggies, fruits and salads all the time, sick of starches
- most people do not treat dogs very nicely, saw many groups of kids chasing and kicking dogs, also saw a dead cat on the side of the road who had been purposely driven over
- very very cold at night and in clinic, lived in my long underwear this week
My family from gabs was texting me all week and were asking me when I'd be home. It was great to feel missed and now its great being back. Took a bath w/shampoo last night and it was the best thing ever! Watched Madagascar with my sister and went to bed in my warm room! As I always say..."It could be worse" and as my dad says, "Life doesn't suck"
miss you all. camping in a rhino sanctuary on monday! Sorry for the long post.
All 22 of us left for Mochudi last Saturday. One by one we were dropped off at our houses. As we dropped people off we started to get into lower income areas. I was the 2nd to last dropped off. I was completely fine with living in a lower income area, but I wasn't expecting the family I lived with. The director and I knocked and finally an older lady came around the back of the house. The director left and the woman didn't say a word to me, showed me into the outer house, pointed to a bed and put my stuff down. I followed her into the house because I didn't know what else to do. She turned on the tv, said "TV", pointed to a chair, and said "sit". So i sat there and watched BTV the local channel which at this time was all in Setswana. After a while my friend Shelby came over with her sister because they lived just down the street. They took me out for a walk so I didn't just have to sit there, I was so lucky that I was placed near someone else!
that night I awkwardly sat there eating dinner with a mom who didn't speak more than a few english words (like TV, sit, come, wash) and the 2 year old grandson who was terrified of me the first night because he had never seen a white person. Luckily Tumo (the grandson/my nephew) warmed up to me and would play with me the following nights, although he didn't speak any English either.
On Sunday, I was lucky that my 25 year old sister and mother to Tumo had taken the day off. She spoke English. Although it was a very boring day of just sitting around and walking to the museum that was closed and to the shops, at least she spoke English. Unfortunately she works at a bar so she would be gone every day from 2-10 or 11pm. My days started at 6am so I was in bed before 9pm, which meant many lonely nights with ma and Tumo. After a few days I started staying at Shelbys until it got dark out then heading home (gets dark at 6pm though!).
The food was interesting. It was good when Peanut, my sister, cooked on Sunday. But one day my ma just handed me a plate of maize meal with a bottle of mayo and ketchup. Another day she gave me a bowl of rice and canned fish. I felt obligated to eat it but it was less than enjoyable. Shelby even ate chicken feet (Minoto), but luckily I didn't have to. Although they do make very good bread and the fried bread called Fat Cakes. Shelby's ma showed us how to make them our last day in Mochudi....really simple, just bread flour, sugar, salt, water, and yeast, then you work it all in and deep fry it over a fire.
One day after clinic I went to open my room but found the door stuck. Ma eventually came out and tried to help but the language barrier proved difficult yet again and we couldn't really communicate. Couldn't reach my sister at work either so i slept in this twin bed in the other room with an unlocked door until she came home. didn't really sleep all that well considering there was a bar right across the street. Peanut then told me I wasn't suppose to shut my door to begin with...but no one had told me that so how was I suppose to know?!?! I also forgot one day and managed to get stuck inside my room. At this point in the trip it was just comical because I had already pressed the wrong button on the TV and turned on the broken kitchen sink so it leaked all week. No one had told me about the kitchen sink either. One day I was about to sit down in the outhouse when I noticed a colony of ants all over the seat. Glad I looked. Unfortunately they were there all week so I had to get used to them. The night I got locked out of my room was very interesting going to the toliet when I didn't have a flashlight, luckily my phone had a little light. I also woke up on my last morning to find ants all over my bag and clothes. Even shook the clothes I was already wearing and a few dropped out. The father came home on thursday night from the cattle post but he didn't speak any English either. When we ate dinner with his nephew (who spoke a little english), the father tried to tell me I should marry his nephew. The ma and father just kinda stared at me, spoke in setswana, then the nephew would awkwardly translate a few things. yet another awkward meal.
I'm also sick of being white! We stick out even more in Mochudi because its a little more rural. By day 2 everyone in the neighborhood knew where I was staying. When we would go into town to the "mall" everyone would stare. We were in the grocery store, Spar, when a guy came up to me, told me he loved me and asked for a kiss, then leaned in to try to get one (men are much more aggressive here). My friend Sierra got "auctioned off" in a combi and these two guys said they would give 12 cattle to marry her.
on a brighter note, I was always cheered up by the kids. Many of the kids in Mochudi haven't seen white people so they would just yell Legkowa, Legkowa! (White person) they also all would say hello and how are you. one day shelby and i were playing in the yard with my nephew when all these kids started coming up to the gate and just stared at us, we were like zoo animals. Eventually we went out and were chasing them around and they were all just laughing. Another day a group gathered in our front yard and we played catch/soccer for a while. Even though many of them didn't know english, they were all happy to see/play with us and had no judgements. Tumo also took to me although I never knew what he was rambling on about.
Although I had a rough time with the language barrier, everyone we met on the streets was very nice and said Dumela, le kae? And everyone was curious about why we were visiting. And im sure my ma had the best intentions, but she rarely smiled or laughed and since she only knew a few words she always sounded short and angry. Many times I would catch her just staring at me which was super awkward.
As for clinic work, it was no different than in Gabs, but this time there was a doctor only once a week and no pharmacist so the nurses do everything. We spent the majority of our time doing vitals and sorting pills. I went in one day to see if I could help weigh babies but she just said no. Another nurse wouldn't let us in the consult room because she said she'd only be speaking in Setswana. But luckily one day I sat in with the doctor, although we didn't see anything more than a cold he at least told me about how they rotate as doctors. One day the nurses were talking about something in the morning regarding closing the clinic and missing paperwork, I tried to ask what was going on but they just said clinic stuff...frustrating when you're trying to learn! The clinic (Boseja II) also doenst collect the 5 pula consult fee, when i asked why the nursing assistant just said we don't have a system in place. So all the patients we saw were getting free healthcare.
On our last day we went with the home based care volunteers to see 2 patients. They have a garden in the back of the clinic so they can give spinach and carrots to patients, but they don't have any transport so they walk everywhere. Both the patients we saw were older men who were stroke victims. The home based care volunteers arrange transport for them so they can go to the clinic and physical therapy occasionally, and in the case of the second patient, they even performed a little physical therapy even though they are just volunteers from the community. The second case was a particularly sad story, he lost his entire left side, was HIV+, living on pension, supporting a wife, a son, and a mentally challenged daughter but struggling to get by. Many times he couldn't go to the physical therapists because he didn't have the money. He kept asking us when we were coming back to help him so it was really hard realizing that he expected something from us and we were just there to learn. At least one of the healthcare assistants who had come along to translate for us got his number to help arrange transport. Its amazing that these older women volunteer their time when they live in the same community and don't have much to give themselves. We were also quite the site...3 older women and 4 white students in long white lab coats walking down dirt roads while animals wondered everywhere.
Random thoughts...
- robot = stop light
- theater = the operating room
- beer is for men, women are suppose to drink cider (in Mochudi)
- they make traditional beer, shake shake/chibuka, in old milk cartons.
- stars were beautiful, village was LOUD
- greet everyone by holding your elbow with your left hand as you shake hands
- forgot shampoo for the week...yuck
- bathed in less than an inch of water...made me even miss baths in gabs
- miss hot water and soap!!!
- miss tp in public restrooms
- crave fresh veggies, fruits and salads all the time, sick of starches
- most people do not treat dogs very nicely, saw many groups of kids chasing and kicking dogs, also saw a dead cat on the side of the road who had been purposely driven over
- very very cold at night and in clinic, lived in my long underwear this week
My family from gabs was texting me all week and were asking me when I'd be home. It was great to feel missed and now its great being back. Took a bath w/shampoo last night and it was the best thing ever! Watched Madagascar with my sister and went to bed in my warm room! As I always say..."It could be worse" and as my dad says, "Life doesn't suck"
miss you all. camping in a rhino sanctuary on monday! Sorry for the long post.
Saturday, June 25, 2011
Whats next?
this morning I head out to Mochudi to live with another family for a week in a different environment. its suppose to give us the "rural" village experience, however we have heard that is not too much different from Gabs. I guess we will see! we'll all be working in clinics again for the entire week, but were told to expect less people to be fluent in English or know any at all. Might be a challenge. I am not bringing my computer because its highly unlikely that my new family will have internet let alone electricity. So you wont hear from me until at least next sunday, possibly not until Wed or Thurs because we are headed to a rhino sanctuary in Serowe (Eastern Botswana about 3 or so hours from Gaborone).
All I know about my family is that they are farmers, they have 2 older children who don't live at home, then a 24 year old and a 3 year old. I also will probably be sharing a room with someone because the houses in the village are smaller. Might have an outhouse, doubtful I'll have hot water, probably will have to get water from an outside pump. Also had to pack for 9 days in my school backpack so this will be a fun week!
Thursday was another day at Broadhurst 3. I spent the morning moving between the family planning/reproductive health and pharmacy. I talked to the pharmacist about traditional healing and how that coexists with modern medicine. I then spent the afternoon sitting in with the doctor, saw a few interesting cases like tape worm and potential meningitis, but other than that it was a lot of "flus" (common colds), and genital exams.
Yesterday we visited a traditional healer in the morning. He was from Zimbabwe and told us about how he became a healer, how he came to botswana, and what types of things he treats. It was really interesting although kinda scary when he was talking about this air pump and doing witchcraft. He sees his ancestors in his dreams and they tell him where to go to look for medicines. After the healer we went to Gaborone Game Reserve to make lunch. We were so excited because there were a few monkeys in the trees, but as we started cooking they came from all over and started jumping on tables and running under people's feet to get food. One stole a bag of chips and ran up a tree, opening it and making it rain chips. Another one jumped on the table stealing food from a girls plate and tipping over drinks. Another one pooped on someones arm. And I tried to chase one away but when I turned around it tried to grab my ankle. Those cute monkeys turned into being a nuisance. Last night be went to Bull and Bush to have dinner and a few drinks for Randi's birthday. The music started up and we ended up dancing until after 12, lots of fun!
Time for some adventures, back in a week!
All I know about my family is that they are farmers, they have 2 older children who don't live at home, then a 24 year old and a 3 year old. I also will probably be sharing a room with someone because the houses in the village are smaller. Might have an outhouse, doubtful I'll have hot water, probably will have to get water from an outside pump. Also had to pack for 9 days in my school backpack so this will be a fun week!
Thursday was another day at Broadhurst 3. I spent the morning moving between the family planning/reproductive health and pharmacy. I talked to the pharmacist about traditional healing and how that coexists with modern medicine. I then spent the afternoon sitting in with the doctor, saw a few interesting cases like tape worm and potential meningitis, but other than that it was a lot of "flus" (common colds), and genital exams.
Yesterday we visited a traditional healer in the morning. He was from Zimbabwe and told us about how he became a healer, how he came to botswana, and what types of things he treats. It was really interesting although kinda scary when he was talking about this air pump and doing witchcraft. He sees his ancestors in his dreams and they tell him where to go to look for medicines. After the healer we went to Gaborone Game Reserve to make lunch. We were so excited because there were a few monkeys in the trees, but as we started cooking they came from all over and started jumping on tables and running under people's feet to get food. One stole a bag of chips and ran up a tree, opening it and making it rain chips. Another one jumped on the table stealing food from a girls plate and tipping over drinks. Another one pooped on someones arm. And I tried to chase one away but when I turned around it tried to grab my ankle. Those cute monkeys turned into being a nuisance. Last night be went to Bull and Bush to have dinner and a few drinks for Randi's birthday. The music started up and we ended up dancing until after 12, lots of fun!
Time for some adventures, back in a week!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)