TWO MONTHS IN BOTS!!!

Me and Fifi

 

Ngirl and I playing rock paper scissors to see who would serve first

 



Me with Ashley, Boikobo and Fifi watching the boys play

 



"The Great" hitting the ball. UB is in red/black

 

Greetings and salutations everyone!!! Hello once again. This will be my last blog post for a while as next week is mid semester break where I will be traveling to Namibia and then Victoria Falls. I have a lot of ideas of what I want to do while there like skydiving in Namibia, quadbiking at the sand dunes, bungee jumping at Victoria Falls and going on an elephant back safari ride!!! We will see how this all plays out but hope to do a lot of really cool activities and have a lot of exciting adventures!!! But until then let me recap the past week and half for you and for my own memories.

 My last post was a Wednesday so let me quickly recap my Thursday and Friday. Thursday started off to be a promising morning as I quickly caught a combi and was able to quickly walk from the combi stop at the station to the Main Mall. My internet at home has not been working so I had to go to Mascom (the internet and phone company) to work with them on the problem. Well, the line was short but this is Africa so of course my problem wasn’t solved. I did learn why my internet time wasn’t working though. I would buy 10 hours of internet time and after 2 hours or so the stick would run out. Apparently the company is charging me three times the amount of time I’m actually on. So if I’m on for a half hour, they charge me an hour and a half!!! Okay problem determined. Solution??? No way! They said it was a problem with the billing department and entire network and they couldn’t do anything that I would have to keep checking back and they would let me know. So this means that I am really out of luck for now. Have to keep bugging them and trying different stores to fix the problem which really stinks! The rest of the day was fine as usual. Class, homework/internet at school, volleyball practice, home. I actually made dinner tonight though. Nothing fancy but made pasta and a tomato/onion sauce. I loved it!!!

Friday I didn’t have class and was going to start my internship working with kids with disabilities in Tlokweng but the students at the school were busy preparing for the Special Olympics so they didn’t have time to meet with me. Instead, I am going to meet with them next week and hope to help out at the Special Olympics. Since I didn’t have class, I got to the gym early and worked out with a couple of my friends. I actually teach them fitness classes so we did a 40 minute spin class and 25 min step class! It’s really great to be able to teach even if it is just to my friends. After the gym and a wonderful hot shower (a precious commodity here!) I worked on a group project and then headed over to a computer lab to get internet and do some homework. After getting some work done we had a CIEE meeting to review our time in Kanye and plans for the rest of the semester. There is hopefully going to be some great ones including going to Serowe where there is a rhino sanctuary, camping out in Kauduane with bushmen, maybe visiting the salt pans, etc. All of this sounds so great but after looking at my schedule, my weekends are jam packed. I always thought that I would have my weekends off to travel and  explore the rest of the country but with volleyball and CIEE volunteer events and cultural excursions I have no idea when I am going to travel on my own. The only place that I have to squeeze in that I won’t hit through CIEE and other travels is a weekend in Joburg!!!

 Friday night was awesome as some of my friends and I went to Embassy which is this amazing Indian restaurant. I hate to say it but this was one of my favorite meals here in Botswana: Paneer cheese in a tomato/pepper sauce. How crazy is that?????

 I got up early Saturday morning and headed to UB for a volleyball game. But of course this was African time so even though I (and my fellow American players) got to school at 8:30 for the 9am game, the rest of the team showed up at 9:30 and the game actually started at 10/10:30. This wasn’t a huge deal except for the weather! People keep saying just wait that end of September/Oct/November it is hot, hot, hot. Yet I was freezing this morning. I had shorts and a jacket and between the wind, lack of sunshine and low temperatures, I had goosebumps a majority of the morning.

 Unfortunately I didn’t really play any of the game for some reason but instead sat on the bench watching. At first I was frustrated but had to let that go and just enjoy watching and hanging out with some of the boy vball players who were also watching. After the girls game, the boys played which was so much fun to watch. Not only are the boys more powerful and a better team than the girls, but the guys themselves are really great people. They are so funny and easy going and have some of the best cheers.

 After volleyball, my friends, Anthony and Charlotte, and I went to Food Lovers which is my new favorite store. It is basically the Botswana Whole Foods with granola, dried fruits, exotic fresh produce, etc. Loved it!! We went because they were coming over to make dinner and hang out. We ended up making chili, sweet potato biscuits and oatmeal-chocolate chip cookies. We had to use a lot of substitutions here but overall it was an awesome meal that we all thoroughly enjoyed!!!!

 Sunday I had nothing really on the agenda so I woke up and went for my first run here in Botswana. Boy is it different running here than in the US. First off, I only saw one other person running which actually surprised me. Also, I had to run basically along a highway because there aren’t running paths around as no one really runs for exercise. The rest of the afternoon was spent working on some homework, studying and then climbing Kgale Hill again with some friends. Kgale Hill is really the only trail I know of and because of the great views from the top is something I love doing so why not????

 Sunday night ended like it would in the states; everyone sitting down for dinner in front of a terrible movie. For some reason BTV (Botswana TV) and eBotswana play the worst American movies, the ones that even Americans have never heard of. On tonight was Detention which I strongly urge everyone not to watch. Still fun though sitting with my siblings and taking in another week in Bots.

 Monday rolled around just like all other Mondays. Gym in the morning, Setswana class and then lunch and an afternoon spent in the computer lab using the internet. The day ended with volleyball where not that many people (or the volleyballs) showed up so it was spent doing physical conditioning. Even though I got a little sweat going this was nothing like the US. It basically involved running short distances mixed in here and there with some sit-ups. Physical fitness is really different here in Bots then the US. At the Aerobathon a couple of weeks ago I was shocked at how fast the instructors moved, how quickly people caught on to the moves and how intense the classes were. Yet when I go to the gym it is rare to see people other than Americans on the treadmill. And if there are Batswana on the treadmill they are usually only on for like 5-10 minutes walking. Some times I see Batswana on the spin bikes but even that only lasts for a short time. Instead I mainly see people weight lifting. And at the volleyball courts watching the vball teams, tennis and basketball teams practice there isn’t really a lot of physical conditioning. The conditioning we did kind of reinforced how although Botswana is very developed for an African nation, it is years behind the US in terms of information. Weird way to say it so let me give an example. We were doing lemon squeezers (which is an abs workout where you bring your legs in and out as you sit in a V position on the ground) and in the states, the goal is try to keep your arms off the ground and legs up off the ground. However, I was doing this and got yelled at my coach and told to keep my legs on the ground actually making the exercise easier. And other times during our warm up they do a lot of very quick movements that actually hurt my back more than anything else and when I don’t do them get yelled at. During cool down I was scolded for not being able to get my forehead to my knee during hamstring stretches. The knowledge that everyone’s bodies are different and the kinesiology background that even recreational coaches in the US have is just not present here. I think a lot of this has to do with the fact that Bots is such a young country and much of the culture is modeled after what is seen on TV. What is seen on TV here is from the 1980s when a lot of these hurtful practices were popular.  However these are just my observations and experiences.

 When I got home I  met my aunt who was visiting for a few days. She looked so much like my grandma that had moved out and she was very similar! Over the next few days I constantly had my aunt telling me what I was doing. It was pretty weird. For example, I would wash dishes and she would say, “Julie! You are washing dishes” or “Julie! You are eating.” “Yes, I am eating” was my usual reply. I’m still a little confused as to why she stated what I was doing but it was nice to meet another family member.

 Tuesday I went to Old Naledi to volunteer with the kids again. I got there early enough to help the ladies prepare meals for both the poorer kids from the neighborhood and for kids from a local school. One meal consisted of samp which is similar to a hominy stew from home. I loved it!!!!! The other meal consisted of pap and spam which meant I had to open like 50 cans of spam. However, the spam cans are really cool here. Not sure if they are like this in the US but on top of the can is a piece of metal that looks similar to a key. Then after scraping the labeling off the can there is a little piece that gets pried up. Using the teeth part of the key, you connect the key and that small piece of metal and slowly begin to turn the key in effect unraveling and creating a cut around the entire circumference of the can.  It’s an ingenuous design.

The rest of the afternoon I spent the time hanging out the kids who still at times are fascinated with my hair and my skin color. I had a couple kids who couldn’t stop petting me while others just looked at my hands. Luckily today there was another volunteer who spoke Setswana and she translated some of the stuff the kids were saying which a lot of the times revolved around how white my skin is. There were some other kids who became obsessed with tickling me which was a lot better than the kids who would pinch my legs and pull my arm hair. I really have no idea why they pinch my legs and can’t tell if they are being mean or just playing-still trying to figure that out.

 

I skipped practice today because I went to RailPark (the mall at the station) to a different Mascom store to see if they could figure out why my internet wasn’t working. After waiting 45 minute because the system was down (shocker!) I talked to a representative who said the problem might be the modem and she gave me the name of the Stock Manager back at Main mall where I had been last Thursday! AARRGGGHH!!! I then headed over to Food Lovers to stock up for my trip and was so excited to get some dried fruits and granola!!!!

 Since I got home early I was able to do a lot of homework and walk Tshego to her friend’s house. Katie came home from her business trip and with her brought home a lot of meat from the cattle post in the village. While she was cooking Elt and I walked over to pick Tshego up from her friend’s house as it was dark by now. Walking home was a lot of fun even though it was only like a 10 minute walk. Tshego asked what was for dinner and I told her Katie was cooking at which both Tshego and Elt rolled their eyes. They explained that she takes forever to cook and that we wouldn’t eat for hours. I responded that she also had to water at which point Tshego said that someone (ie Elt) was going to be in trouble for not watering while Katie was out of town.  Just these small conversations and interactions made me smile and reminded me of how siblings should act, reminding me of Lanes and PJ and how the three of us interact.

 I was determined to get my internet fixed on Wednesday so after my morning classes I walked to Main Mall to the Mascom headquarters. I met with the stock manager who said he had to go try out my internet stick. After waiting 45 minutes he came back down and asked me to go upstairs to his office. Up in the office I worked with 3 other people who thought they figured out the problem (Wednesday night I realized they hadn’t and am therefore still without internet!).  Headed back towards campus, hit the gym then went to my 4pm class where the technology wasn’t working so class was cancelled.  Had volleyball practice where again I hated on my coach but had fun with the other girls. This week there are a lot of tests and papers due so practice has been really low key and poorly attended.

 

Thursday added excitement to my day. I woke up early to go to the gym but unlike every other day when I normally just walk in, today I was supposed to swipe to get through the turnstiles. That proved difficult as I never received my membership card and my membership expired a month ago! Since the turnstiles were broken before I never even thought about my membership fees and thought I would get away with just paying that one time. Oh well, luck ran out. I was luckily able to still work-out and have to pay my fees when I return from midsemester break! Rest of the day was normal but after volleyball, me and a couple of friends headed over to Marapula (neighborhood close to campus) to see the Mophato Dance Group perform. It was supposed to be a combination of African and modern dance. I enjoyed it but once again it showed how new this country really is and that it is still in the beginning stages in so many areas. Although the dancers were obviously very strong and powerful, the technique had not yet progressed to standards held in the states.  However, I still had a great night enjoying the culture of Bots!

 I was supposed to volunteer with the Special Olympics today (Friday) but because of the internet problems I am having and all the things I need to accomplish before leaving for Namibia I headed to campus instead. Unfortunately the person I was supposed to meet with at Mascom to fix my internet wasn’t going to be in today meaning I will have to tackle my intern problems when I return from Namibia. Later I am working with other CIEE students in Tlokweng to help set up for a stroke awareness event that will occur tomorrow. I was originally going to volunteer there but since there was a possibility of going to South Africa to play volleyball I had to find a replacement. However, I am no longer going to South Africa to play but am hoping to go to a wedding with my host mom. I can’t wait! Hope it all works out and I actually get to go! Then Sunday, up early and off for my next adventure in Southern Africa!

Longest post yet but I had a lot of time to cover. Next post should hopefully have some amazing pictures from my time traveling as well as some crazy stories! Hope all is well with the states! And happy birthday to my dad and brother!