New Understandings

Today marks three full weeks since I left home, and I cannot believe how quickly the time has flown by!  Even though I have already done so many amazing things in Botswana, I’m still excited about all of the remaining experiences I will have in the coming weeks.  Tomorrow we will all leave for a week-long visit in a rural village, and I will be staying with a host family during that time.  I will also be interning each day in a village clinic, and I am really looking forward to being able to compare my experiences in a village clinic to those in the city clinic, which I’m sure will continue to both deepen and challenge my understanding of public health.

Yesterday I completed my second week as an intern at a local city clinic, and I have already learned so much.  It has been so fascinating to further learn about many of Botswana’s current and future health care challenges through my discussions with the clinic staff, and I have met some really incredible health care workers.  It has also been really interesting to actually observe many health care challenges play out on an individual level, when I have only previously read about them or discussed them in a classroom setting.  I have continued to better understand the combi system here in Botswana, and I no longer feel the need to ask the driver each time if I am on the right combi, which is definitely a major accomplishment for me. :) I have even become confident enough to say “O eme mo stopong” (Stop at the stop) when I reach my destination, although it still feels like I’ve achieved something significant each time I get where I need to go via combi.

I am also starting to gain a better appreciation for some of the cultural differences that I have observed and experienced.  For example, one day this past week I needed to run an errand during my lunch break at the clinic.  In order to save time I decided to eat my lunch as I was running the errands, but I soon began to notice that I was receiving strange looks from several people I passed on the street.  It then dawned on me that I had not really seen many Batswana eating food “on the go,” but rather almost every time I’ve seen others eating, they have been seated and stationary.  Although I did not realize it before, it soon became clear what an American concept “eating on the go” really was, especially when our society places so much emphasis on time and squeezing in as many activities and appointments into as little time as possible.  Therefore, I began to appreciate what a strange sight it must really be to see me walking down the street in a hurry, eating a peanut butter sandwich.  Even in the Main Mall area of the Gaborone city center, I have noticed that although many business professionals may buy food from street vendors (the closest thing I’ve noticed to “fast food”) they still take the time to sit on nearby benches or tables and actually focus on one thing: eating their lunch.  The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I have actually come to prefer a slower, more mindful way of eating and appreciating my meal.  I realized that this method also recognizes all of the time and energy that went into the meal, especially since nearly all the meals I’ve eaten here have taken quite a bit of time to prepare and been made completely from scratch.  It has been this new found awareness, as well as many other realizations throughout this trip, that have allowed me to gain a much better understanding of my place in this world.

Yesterday I received my Setswana name from my host mom, and it is Boitumelo, which means “joy.”  I think this is a fitting name, since so much of my time here has been filled with joy and appreciation for the beauty that I have found in this country.  Other students in my program have been given multiple Setswana names, and if I receive any other names, I will be sure to include them in a future post! :) Yesterday I also went shopping in the craft market area of the Main Mall, and I found some great souvenirs!  I even bartered for several of my purchases, which was a new experience for me.  However, I do think that the success I found was due in large part to all of the times I watched my dad negotiate his way into a great deal over the years.  I’m sure he was proud of me bartering with the best of them!

As I said before, we are all leaving tomorrow for a rural village, and I cannot wait to see what other adventures await me.  I am not sure if I will have the same level of internet access in the village that I do within the city, but either way, I am sure that I will have plenty of stories and pictures to share from that experience! 

Later today we will be visiting with a traditional healer and traveling to a local game reserve.  I am so excited to observe another side of the health care services that exist within Botswana, and I am really looking forward to seeing what the next week will have in store for me as I continue on my African Adventure!

Peace,

Lizzy

Second Week in Botswana!

I can’t believe I’ve already been in Botswana for just over two whole weeks now!  Time has flown by so quickly, but I’ve definitely been enjoying every minute of it! 

Last Tuesday we volunteered at a local orphanage for the afternoon, and that was truly an incredible experience.  The children were wonderful, and I am hoping to return at least once before I leave Botswana.

Last Wednesday was my first day as an intern at a local clinic, and I have already learned so much through my observations and discussions with the staff.  I’ve also noticed several similarities and differences between the Botswana health care system and the U.S. system, and I’m sure that as I continue my internship over the next five weeks, I’ll notice even more comparisons.  I also took a combi on my own for the first time last week, and I managed to arrive at the correct stop without getting lost at all, which was quite an accomplishment.  Of course once I arrived at my stop I had no idea where to go, but luckily people are so nice and helpful here.  After asking several different people for directions, I eventually found my way. :) Although the combi system can still seem confusing at times, I’m definitely starting to get the hang of it.

Last Friday we all went on a tour of a local landfill for my Public and Environmental Health class.  We learned first-hand all about the different ways that Botswana manages its waste, as well as the waste management-related challenges that the country will face in the coming decades.  It was really fascinating to learn about an aspect of Botswana’s infrastructure that most people would not ordinarily have the chance to see, and I realized how much I take for granted when it comes to waste management and recycling in the U.S.  Prior to my arrival in Botswana I would not necessarily have thought that waste management was such a vital public health issue, but after seeing more of the country and speaking with the staff at the landfill, I can see how waste management has become such a critical concern.

On Saturday afternoon, we traveled to the Mokolodi Nature Reserve for a sunset safari drive.  It was such a beautiful drive, and I saw tons of animals along the way.  Among my favorites was the ostrich, due in part to the fact that I was not expecting it to be quite as majestic in person.  We also saw a family of warthogs, and the baby warthogs were really cute! :) During the drive we also started an impromptu Lion King sing along, which definitely put us all in the safari spirit!  All in all, I was just as much in awe of the scenery as I was of the animals, since it was truly breathtaking to drive through the middle of an African nature reserve just as the sun was setting. 

After we finished the safari drive, we drove into the middle of the reserve for a traditional African braai.  All of the food was delicious, and I enjoyed a dinner of steak, chicken, butternut squash, onion garlic bread, and papa (pronounced “pop,” this is a side dish that I have eaten several times and already begun to love!).  One of the most amazing things about eating dinner in the middle of the game reserve was that I was able to see more stars than I have ever seen in my life.  Although in my neighborhood back in the States I am used to seeing a fair number of stars, nothing I have ever seen, whether in the city or in more rural areas, could compare to the night sky here in Botswana.  It was mesmerizing to look in any part of the sky and see hundreds upon hundreds of stars.  It’s definitely difficult to describe the majesty of the Botswana night sky in words, but I can say without a doubt that it is a sight I will never forget for the rest of my life.

Another one of the highlights of this past week was the number of new foods that I had the chance to eat, and I already have some great inspiration for new recipes to try when I return home.  Even though I’ve only been in Botswana for a short time, I already have a few favorite meals that I know I will miss when I leave.  In addition to eating goat meat for the first time last week, I also tried my very first fat cake.  At a price of about a quarter each, I can already tell that fat cakes will be a dangerously tempting snack! :)

Here are a few pictures from my safari this past weekend, and you can see additional pictures from my trip here:

The orphanage where we all volunteered

 

A male kudu we saw on the safari

A beautiful pond at Mokolodi

A hyena from the safari

A warthog!

A cheetah lounging at Mokolodi

Sunset during the safari drive

This week I will continue with my classes and clinic internship, and later in the week we will be visiting a traditional healer.  We will also be traveling to another local game reserve, and I cannot wait to see even more amazing animals!

Peace,

Lizzy

A Lesson in Endurance

I’m just starting my fourth full day of classes, and so far things are going great here in Botswana!  Last Friday, we attended a lecture about Setswana culture, which provided some really interesting insight into the history that has resulted in Botswana's current culture.  I’ve also continued to learn even more Setswana, and so far my classes have all been going really well!  This weekend I also went to church with my host family, and it was such a beautiful service.  The congregation was even kind enough to do a formal blessing over me, and everyone was extremely welcoming.

This past Saturday, we all went on a tour of Gaborone before embarking on a mid-morning hike up Kgale Hill, a mountain in Gaborone.  Although the mountain is rather steep, I still assumed that we would climb it by using a hiking trail or other pre-determined path.  However, I soon found out that my assumptions were far from accurate.  As we drove closer and closer to the base of the hill, I was on the lookout for some type of visitor’s center or other building pointing us toward a trail head.  Then as we approached a fence surrounding the mountain, our group’s combis suddenly pulled over to the side of the road even though there were no discernible paths in the vicinity.  After we all made it out of the combis and began asking where we would begin the hike, we were told that we would be making our own trail up the mountain.  

We then started walking toward the base of the mountain, picked an area that looked like a good place to begin, and started climbing.  There were parts of the mountain where it felt like I was bushwhacking my way through the Amazon, and others where it seemed like I was an extra in 127 Hours.  However, even though it took a tremendous amount of endurance to reach the top, the climb was definitely one of the most amazing experiences of my life.  Plus, the view from the top was breathtaking.  Although it was gratifying to make it to the top of the hill, I realized that I gained something more from the experience: a lesson in endurance.  People who know me well know that I am not the most outdoorsy person, but as I was climbing up Kgale Hill, something seemed different.  Rather than focusing on the difficulty of the climb, I was staying in the moment by taking the time to enjoy the beauty that surrounded me.  Furthermore, rather than worrying about whether or not I would be able to finish the hike, I focused instead on proving to myself that I could make it to the top of the hill.  Perhaps most surprising was that I learned an important lesson in endurance; as I was climbing that mountain, I realized (much to my surprise) that I had some untapped strength within me that miraculously helped me make it to the top.  I also realized that once I was able to overcome my own preconceived notions about what I was or wasn’t able to do, it made it that much more exhilarating once I did reach the peak.  I know that mountain climbs can be metaphors for all kinds of experiences in life, but this particular mountain climb served as a much-needed reminder for me: even though we may not initially believe that the strength to endure is within us, sometimes it just takes an otherwise daunting experience to realize that the strength has been there all along.

Here are a couple of pictures from the climb, and you can find more pictures from my trip here:

In front of the Three Dikgosi Monument

Kgale Hill

I made it to the top!

The view from Kgale Hill

More of Gaborone from Kgale Hill

One of several baboons we saw when leaving Kgale Hill

Tomorrow I will begin my first day as an intern at a local clinic, and I cannot wait to see what the first day will have in store for me.  Then this weekend we are all going on a safari, so I am sure that I’ll have plenty of stories and pictures to post from that trip as well!

Peace,

Lizzy

First Update from Botswana!

Dumela (Hello) from Botswana!  I cannot believe that it has been a whole week since I packed my bags and began my 3-day journey to Botswana!  I have already met so many wonderful people and seen several different parts of Botswana’s beautiful capital city, Gaborone. 

After over 20 hours of different flights and two 7+ hour layovers (one in London and one in Johannesburg), I finally arrived in Botswana last Sunday, both exhausted and excited to begin this amazing experience.  Sunday through Wednesday, all of the students in my study abroad program stayed in a local hotel, during which we were introduced to the University of Botswana, explored the local area, and had a chance to catch our breaths after traveling several thousand miles.  On Monday, after going through the logistics of the program, a University of Botswana faculty member held a discussion with us about many of the current issues facing Botswana with regard to race, ethnicity, color, class, and gender.  After all of my sociology and women’s studies courses, it was fascinating to hear about the ways in which many of the social issues I have studied within a U.S. context have also played out in Botswana.  I ate my very first lunch in Botswana on Monday as well, and it was both colorful and delicious, as I had roasted chicken, pumpkin, beets, a local type of doughy bread, and a tomato-based vegetable stew. 

On Tuesday, we explored more of the city and shopped in one of the local malls.  Even though many of the stores here may not necessarily be the exact same as those in the U.S., the layout of the mall was very similar to many shopping centers that I have visited in the States, and it was really interesting to see all of the similarities.  One of the aspects of the mall that I found a little surprising, however, was how many of the restaurants served so many foods that I already recognized.  I have already eaten some amazing pork ribs and chicken kabobs, and I’ve also noticed that many meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) are served with french fries!  After our excursion into the city, we returned to the University of Botswana to learn about some of the basics of Botswana’s culture, and I am so excited that I have the chance to immerse myself in such an enchanting and welcoming culture.  Later in the day we had a chance to meet with a former CIEE student who had returned to Botswana for a summer internship after studying last year for several months at the University of Botswana.  She offered us tons of tips and suggestions for our time here, and it was great to meet another student who had an insider’s perspective on the journey that I had just begun. 

On Wednesday we finished up orientation, and I moved into my host family’s house in the afternoon.  My host family has been so amazing, welcoming, and basically done everything possible to make me feel like a member of the family.  Like many of the other Batswana that I have met in the past week, they have been warm, friendly, and extremely welcoming.  I spent much of Wednesday afternoon unpacking my suitcases and arranging my room, and it’s definitely starting to feel like home. 

Yesterday we had our first day of classes, and I have already learned a bit of Setswana (the local language).  :) I hope that by the end of the summer, I’ll know enough to be able to communicate at least on a basic level, and my host family has already volunteered to help me practice!  In addition to a class on Setswana, I am also taking an Introductory Public Health course as well as a class that includes an internship component in local clinics.  I also attempted to navigate (“attempted” being the key word) my first combi ride back from the University yesterday, and it was definitely an exciting experience, to say the least.  Combis are the main form of public transportation in Gaborone, and they run all throughout the city.  Even though I did get slightly lost, the driver and other passengers were extremely helpful in making sure that I got onto a different combi that would take me where I needed to go.  I finally made it home and enjoyed a dinner of chicken, pasta salad, baked beans, and salad.  Although it’s winter here in Botswana, I’m finding that I’ve still been eating many of the same “summer” foods that I would have eaten back home. :)

Today we have our second day of classes, and this weekend we will be doing more traveling around Gaborone.  As I said before, I cannot believe that it has already been a week since I left home, but I am extremely excited for all of the adventures and excursions that await me!  Even though I have limited internet access, I will do my best to post as many updates as possible, and I will also try to post a few photos sometime soon.  Until next time, sala sentle!

Peace,

Lizzy

"Run from the Rhinos..."

In just a couple of days I will be on my way to Botswana, and I am so excited!  I depart from Michigan on Friday evening, and after passing through Chicago, London, and Johannesburg, I will hopefully reach Botswana on Sunday afternoon (38 hours from when I leave!).

As I’ve been organizing my belongings and packing my bags, I’ve been thinking more and more about what I’ll miss this summer.  Even though I could not be more excited to begin my journey to Africa, I’ll still greatly miss seeing my family and friends, as well as taking part in all of my “summer traditions.”  I’ve tried to cram in as many Dairy Store and Tasty Twist trips as possible since I’ve been home, but it will still be strange to miss those in the coming months.  It will be my first summer without a visit to my Grandma’s, my first July without a trip to Mackinaw, and the longest amount of time that I’ve ever been away from home. 

As I’ve reflected on all the experiences that I will miss this summer, I’ve also thought a lot about all the amazing, exciting, and life-changing experiences I will have over the next few months.  I’m really looking forward to going on my first safari ride and seeing all of the wildlife that both Botswana and South Africa have to offer.  I’m also excited for my first “real” camping experience, which will take place in a rhino sanctuary!  I plan to travel to Robben Island and Cape Point while in South Africa, and I look forward to seeing places that I have only read about up until now.  Perhaps most importantly, I cannot wait to experience the culture of both countries by learning the local languages, meeting new people, and taking part in as many new experiences as possible.

Throughout my time in Botswana and South Africa, I will do my best to post plenty of updates, and please feel free to follow my blog by submitting your email address in the box at the top of the page or by clicking "Follow" in the box at right.  You can also feel free to post comments or responses, and if you have any last-minute advice for me before I leave, please let me know!  The best advice I have received thus far came from my mom, who reminded me to “run from the rhinos” if I am ever in a position of being chased by them. :)  Although I hope I will not have to put this advice into practice, I will still keep it in mind as I embark on my journey.  Thanks to everyone for your well wishes and support, and I’ll miss you all!

Peace,

Lizzy