No class

The riots apparently got worse last night, so that means no class for the rest of the week.

Paper, Protest, Party... OH MY!

A lot has happened in this past week!

A have finally attended all of my classes.  My semester is a mix of some pretty easy courses and a little more demanding ones, but hopefully nothing hold me back from experiencing the continent!

Monday through Wednesday seemed pretty normal.  I had my first paper due on Thursday.  It was a pretty cool assignment.  We were able to interview some informal vendors in a mall close by and hear all of their stories.  The paper was just a write up, but I dreaded every minute of writing in it because I am in complete summer mode.  The weather is at least 80 degrees everyday, so rather than feeling January, I think it is July.  Not good for a student who just started her semester.  I got through it though, so that was just one thing I was able to check off my to-do list.

My next item to complete was to attend a student meeting lead by the student government about some grievances the study body was having.  From what it sounds like they are not happy with the possible closing of the on campus bar, 411, the cancelation on inter-varsity sports, which I think is like inter-murals, the cancellation of supplementary exams, tests students get to take if they failed a class before officially failing, and I believe they wanted their vice-chancellor to resign.

The student meeting (Courtesy of Elise Beckman)

I was very excited to see a student meeting and hear all they had to say, but unfortunately when it began they only spoke in Setswana.  I am learning this language, but I am as far as I am 20 years old, so it did not get me far.  I stayed listening and hoping that they would eventually speak in english, but they did not.  After about an hour and half I decided it was better to just leave and go hang out by my dorm with some friends.
We were sitting and chatting when we heard yelling and chanting headed our way.  Then hundreds of people came flooding through a gate! They were chanting and singing and holding what looked like branched from trees.  It was amazing.  I had never witnessed a protest and this one was just intense.

The protest (courtesy of Elise Beckman, I was looking from a closer point)

The next day, the entire campus was talking about the previous night's events.  Then there was another meeting.  The Vice-Chancellor, the man the students hold accountable for all the issues) was going to address the student body.  He was not accepted very well and was booed and yelled at.  He did not give any answers or solutions to the issues, but was ready to have meetings to talk about them.  I was a little worried that the students would riot and get violent, but they didn't so all is good.  I am interested in seeing what happens in this next week.

Finally, I went out for the first time and had so much fun! With some other international students I went to a house party in a near by village, Tlokweng.  It was great to get out and hang out with some locals off campus.  I tried a new kind of beer and got know some more people. 

Now it is back to classes, but something to look forward to is this next weekend I will be traveling to Johannesburg, South Africa! 

There might not be snow, but there was rain in Africa

This past weekend I went on a mini excursion with other international students that included seeing some historical sights and an hour long game drive.

The first day, we visited a kgotla.  These are meeting places where a tribes handles court cases, weddings, and other proceedings that concern the tribe.  We learned the traditions that go along with a wedding and the different punishments given out during trials.  We were able to see the old houses of the chiefs and the other buildings they use.

From there we hiked up to this gorge.  I wouldn't say it was a hard hike, but it involved some rock climbing.  Now, they did not warn us for this, so most of the girls were in skirts and flip-flops, and we went rock climbing.  There were no injuries, but it did take awhile to get up there.  It was beautiful! Apparently, way back when, a tribe used this gorge as a way of disposing of people who used witchcraft.  It was very interesting and pretty.

After the gorge, we went to see how traditional pottery is made.  We same people use the spinning wheel and were able to buy things if we wanted.  After this we traveled to the cultural village we were staying at for the night.  We were greeted with dancing and shown the huts we were sleeping in for the night!

 From there, we went to go hang out for a bit, and the rains came! It was a monsoon.  Tents were getting flooded and everyone was soaking wet.  It is a very dry country, so for there to be rain, its a big deal.

We had some more traditional food, it was much better this time! We ate and talked and then we all went to the bar and just hung out there.  This was one of the first nights I went out for a drink and it was great.  Everyone was laughing and having fun!
We left the village the next morning and went to see some rocking paintings. They were very old and kind of hard to see, but still very interesting.  From there we went to see a very old and very large tree, the Livingstone Tree.  It was beautiful and shady.

Finally, we were off to the game drive! On arrivial we were greeted with mimosas and a waiver form to sign.  We hoped in the safari jeep things and we were off. This was my favorite part of the weekend.  I saw zebras, a cheetah, a wildebeest, impalas, and warthogs! We had lunch in the middle of the reserve park and then... it began to rain again.  We all ran for cover in our jeeps (that were all open except for the roof) and still got soaking wet.  We bonded in the cars and I probably the laughed the hardest since I have been here.  When it died down we basically four-wheeled back to our bus (through a small river) and had the time of our lives!

I can't wait to see more wildlife and experience more of the culture here, but for now, I have a paper to write.

Learn something new everyday

As classes begin here at UB, more and more structure is being added to my day.  This is weird, but I am so glad to have homework!  Today I traveled by Combi (almost like a mini bus that has a route, but will stop anywhere on that route) to the oldest mall in Gaborone, Main Mall.  While there I had to interview 3 street vendors about various things.  People were mostly friendly and willing to talk to me!  I got to hear about there personal stories and ideas about the market in Botswana.
I am slowly starting to learn the language of Setswana.  I am in an introductory class and we are as far as "I am from..."  It is somethings that I have never heard before, but in its own way, very beautiful.  I can't wait to be able to understand local students so I can start ease dropping more.
I have been living with my roommate for almost a week now and she is very nice! She lives in the more northern part of the country and travels 2+ hours to come and attend UB.
On Monday, I had the opportunity to hand wash my clothes.  Now if you know me, I do my laundry at least once a week and use washing machines and dryers, but not here.  It took me around an hour to wash maybe 10-13 things and then like 2 days for them to dry!  It was an experience.  I should have some pretty buff arms by the end of this from ringing out all my clothes.

I have been walking almost everywhere here, different malls, a hut to make copies, you name it, I probably walked there.  Now in theory, I would probably be losing weight, but if you add the amount of dirt I attain throughout the day and the delicious fat cakes I eat, it is probably a wash.  I also like to think I am getting tan, but it is actually just a dirt line from my shoes.  It will happen though, just give it time.
I am starting to get more adjusted as time goes on.  I still miss certain things like air conditioning, ice cubes, fresh produce, but I am sure I can fins those somewhere.  

Some initial thoughts

So as I was just wasting time on the internet, I cam across this picture and I thought it very fitting for me at this time.  I have been pulled out of the comfort I experienced at Lake Forest College and in the US and put somewhere very different.  I was in complete and utter shock the first couple of days and then slipped into terrible homesickness.  All of these feelings are normal for someone traveling this far away, but I do not want to be hindered by them.

I had a rough start to my journey.  I cried, I wanted to come home, I was frustrated, and just in a bad mood.  Things are getting better now as classes are starting and I am getting some sort of structure to my day and I know it will only get better.  I am out of my comfort zone, and at first that is scary, but I need to remember that although things are different, they are not necessarily bad.  I am going to have days where I cry or miss the US, but I am also going to have days where I will be lucky enough to experience some incredible things.  My life is beginning and I am so excited to start to take in everything this place has to offer.

Thus far

I arrived in Gaborone, the capital of Botswana, on Wednesday January 4th after 3 exhausting days of traveling.  This first thing I noticed was how incredibly hot it was.  We aren't talking the humid summers of Chicago or the dry heat of New Mexico, but rather a mixture of both.  I can't tell if it is dry or humid, only that I feel like I am in an oven.  Luckily, both of my bags arrived! I was a bit worried they were going to get lost somewhere between Albuquerque, Phoenix, New York, Johannesburg, and Gaborone.

Once I arrived at the university,  I met with my fellow international students and we bonded over the fact that we are all experiencing intense culture shock.  We had orientation and visited a near by mall (where I immediately purchased a fan), and we are beginning to get the layout of the land.  Tonight I was able to try an authentic Botswana meal.  It was interesting.  The most exotic part was the worm that I ate, it was definitely different, and definitely not for me.

Here is a link more about the worms: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gonimbrasia_belina

I live in the Las Vegas dorms.  These are made up of double and singles and they are filled with both international students and locals.  My roommate will be a local, but she has not arrived yet.  Hopefully she won't mind the millions of questions I am going to ask her.

The culture here is much more laid back than I am use to and it is taking some time to adjust.  People here are quite more relaxed compared to the United States where if there is a task, it gets done immediately.  It is going to take some patience to get used to it, but I am definitely keeping an open mind.