Final Week in Botswana/Preparing for Cape Town

I have now made it to my final week in Botswana, and I cannot believe how quickly the time has flown by!  I never would have believed 6 weeks ago that my time here would have gone as fast as it has, yet here I am, about to conclude my adventure in Botswana and preparing to begin my next adventure in Cape Town. 

This past week, in addition to finishing my last day of classes and continuing with my clinic internship, I also attended two lectures that allowed me to continue to better understand several different aspects of Botswana.  After classes on Monday, one of the local leaders of an opposition political party presented a lecture about Politics in Botswana.  This lecture was especially interesting in light of the recent strike and political shifts taking place in the country.  We were so lucky to have the chance to hear about Botswana’s politics from someone who is actually involved in the political processes here, and it definitely helped provide some context for many of the recent political developments that have taken place while I have been here.  On Tuesday, one of our professors delivered a special lecture on Marriage and Courtship in Traditional and Contemporary Botswana.  This was also a fascinating talk, and it allowed me to continue to build on the knowledge that I had gained while in Mochudi regarding some of the current and traditional practices surrounding marriage in Botswana. 

On Wednesday, I watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Pt. 2 with several of the other students in my program.  The first time I went to the local cinema a couple of weeks ago, I noticed that there were movie posters advertising that Harry Potter was coming to Botswana July 13^th, an entire two days before the U.S. release date!  I couldn’t believe how fortunate I was to not only see the movie while I was here, but also two days before I would have seen it had I been in the U.S.  Needless to say, I was beyond excited to watch it last week, although it was rather bittersweet watching the final chapter of such an epic and influential part of my childhood.  Watching Harry Potter in a state-of-the-art movie theater in Botswana also provided a perfect example of Botswana’s diversity and the fluidity of urban and rural life here.  Although many parts of Gaborone can appear quite similar to the U.S., one does not need to go far to find a more rural side of Botswana.  That experience just reinforced the fact that Botswana is very much in touch every aspect of modern life, yet also just as much connected to its traditional roots.  Looking back, I realize that it was somewhat surreal to watch the final Harry Potter film in a theater in Botswana two days before all of my family and friends back home, with a group of people that I had never met just 6 weeks prior, yet now consider some of my really good friends.  It is a scenario I would have never imagined even just a year ago, but it’s funny how much a person’s life can change in even a short period of time.

On Friday, I learned more about my volunteer placement for my trip to Cape Town, which will begin in just a few short days.  During my three weeks in Cape Town, I will be volunteering in a children’s hospital, and I cannot believe how lucky I am to have such an amazing opportunity.  I was previously under the impression that it is more difficult to secure health-specific volunteer placements in South Africa, so I was even more excited when I found out that I would have the chance to serve in such a directly health-related setting.  I begin my volunteer placement a week from Tuesday, after I have had a few days of orientation and time to settle into Cape Town.  I am really looking forward to not only comparing my health-related experiences in South Africa and Botswana, but also experiencing yet another beautiful and fascinating country.  This past Monday I also had the chance to attend a traditional African wedding, and it was simply beautiful.  The wedding was filled with so much joy and excitement, and I was so grateful to have the chance to experience such a wonderful event before I depart from Botswana.

Even though I cannot wait to continue with my African adventures and begin my journey to Cape Town, I have been reflecting lately about how bittersweet it will be when I leave Botswana.  Although I greatly miss my family and friends back home in the U.S., it will still be hard to depart from a place that I have grown to love so much.  I have only been here for a little over 6 weeks, yet I have made some incredibly close and lasting bonds with so many of the people I have met here.  I have also fallen in love with the fascinating culture and the diverse, beautiful land that has surrounded me.  It is amazing to me as well, how even after such a short time I can already feel so attached to my host family, my newly-made friends, and my daily life here.  At the same time, I’ve begun to realize that although beginnings and endings are often stressful experiences, this is usually because they serve as points of transition in our lives.  Even after a short period of time, foreign environments and routines can become familiar and seem much more comfortable than we ever could have initially imagined.  However, it is only when we continue to welcome change into our lives and move beyond our own self-perceived limits that we are truly able to ascertain our internal capacity and strength.

Therefore, while I am anxious and excited to begin the next chapter of my adventures in Africa, it will still be difficult to leave this place that I have grown to love so much.  Later this week I will finish my internship at the local Gaborone clinic, and on Friday we will tour the Jwaneng Diamond Mine, which has the distinction of being the largest diamond deposit in the world.  Then on Saturday I will leave Botswana and travel on to Cape Town.  Though the next week will be filled with bittersweet goodbyes and final experiences, I look forward to continuing to grow and change as I forge ahead on my adventures!

Peace,

Lizzy