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