**Sorry the pictures are out of order. Thanks to Charlotte too for some great shots**

 Out tracking some rhinos!

 Getting ready for our night time game drive

 The UB volleyball players-Team CHEERS

 Wildabeast at night

 Some of the bolts during an awesome lightning storm (I TOOK THIS PIC!!)

 Up bright and early (5:45am) for our rhino tracking

White rhino right in the middle there, kinda hard to see though

Hello once again. Boy is time flying by here. It’s so hard to believe that I have been in Botswana for almost 3 months now. In some ways it feels like I have been here forever and in other ways I feel like I just got here!

This past weekend CIEE had planned another excursion for us where we were supposed to go camping with the bushmen in Kwaduane which is in the Kalahari desert (the large desert that encompasses most of Botswana).  So Friday morning rolls around and after teaching a mini-spin class to my friends Charlotte and Kylee, we all ventured over to the CIEE office to head out. We were supposed to meet at ten but as this is Africa and we have been here for a while, most of the other Americans are adopting the show up when you can policy. Needless to say many kids were late, but still not as late as Africa time, about 15 minutes. However,  we didn’t even need to arrive that early because apparently last minute plans changed and we no longer were going to the Kalahari. Apparently you need permission from parliament to stay with the bushmen as they are the true native Bastwana and permission never came. So instead of going to Kwaduane we were going to drive north to Serowe to the famous rhino reserve. However since this all happened so last minute it meant we had to wait for transportation for a couple hours and didn’t end up leaving Gabs until 12:30.  And of course, I don’t bring my raincoat because although it looked overcast it usually burns off. Not today-it was pouring. Luckily I only got semi wet as I ventured out of the office to get a paphata.

The weather here has been so finicky. When we first got here it was freezing and people said just wait for September. September wasn’t really bad at all except for that one week after retunring from midsemester break where it was between 95-100. Then it cooled down and actual rain started. Last Thursday being the first intense thunderstorming downpour which cooled down Gabs to the point where I was cold coming to school on Friday with leggings and a t-shirt.

Anyways, Kyle (the CIEE program director) came with us for this excursion and realized how hungry we were so allowed us to stop at Nandos for lunch (Nando’s Peri Peri which are all over here and in the States) and then stop at spar a couple of hours later for snacks.

We finally arrived in Serowe at the Khama Rino Sanctuary where we would be staying around 7pm just in time for our night game drive. The game drive was pretty awesome. We drove for a while before seeing anything and then were able to see some impala, springbok, stembo, some cat type animal, wildabeast and saw two spotted hyenas which are pretty rare. Not to mention there was also a gorgeous lightening storm happening so in the distance we saw beautiful perfect bolts. However, before we knew it that storm was upon us with intense thunder and rain that was just falling horizontally through the game truck and onto us. By the end of the drive I had to use the bathroom, wasn’t seeing as much, was freezing and getting rained on. Luckily when we got back to the campsite, Kyle had already set up our tents and the rain had died down to the point where we could find the restroom and set up the rest of camp.

The rain kicked up again so we all just hung out in our tents having some drinks and eating dinner before it was time for Smores!!!!! What a great night??

Some four hours later, we were being woken up to go on our 6am morning rhino trekking adventure. At first I thought this was going to be a let down because it seemed like all we were doing was driving around without seeing anything. Once in a while our guides would get down out of the truck and follow a trail of fresh poop and footprints but nothing really came of it. One time they did say a rhino was near but it was the black rhino which is too dangerous to get close to. Drove around some more and eventually we found very fresh tracks! We all got down off the truck and followed our guide. When I say follow, I mean we ran after him. Rhinos have great sense of hearing and smell (not so great sight) so the guides said we had to move quickly and quietly in order to see them. Every once in a while the guide would find a pile of poop and feel it and smell it to see if it was still warm. It was just like a movie. After a lot of poop sniffing, track monitoring and crazy hand signals we saw the rhinos. They were huge. We were lucky enough to see a mom, baby and a bull! We didn’t get too close to them as they can be pretty dangerous. I thought it was going to be like Chobe where the animals came right up  to the truck but not here. There are only 4 black rhinos in the sanctuary and 41 white rhinos. There is a declining population of rhinos in Botswana and is Botswana’s last remaining population.

After watching and chasing the rhinos for a bit we headed back out of the brush. Along the way though the guides were able to pass along more information about the rhinos. In terms of their poop, you can tell the difference between the black and white through their poop because they have different diets. The black rhinos eat a lot more wood and therefore their poop is lighter in color and composed of twigs and wood shavings. Also, the main difference between them is their size as they are actually pretty much the same color. There are various stories as to their names then. One is that the white rhino has a much wider mouth so wider transformed into white and then naturally the other became black. The other story is that it is based on social norms. With the white rhinos the babies are always in front of the mother as with white people how babies are pushed in strollers (gross generalizations made in the country) whereas with black rhinos the babies follow behind like with black people how babies are wrapped into their mothers backs. Not sure how accurate these statements are but they semi made sense and were interesting none-the-less.

After our rhino tracking we headed back to camp for breakfast and to clean up the camp site before heading back to Gaborone. Ended up getting back to Gabs around 5 and since we were all exhausted yet did not want to go home yet had a movie night at the dorms at UB watching Lord of the Rings. Somehow we were able to fit 6 people into one side of the dorm room. It was a really fun night watching LOTR, eating peanut butter and enjoying each other’s company.

Sunday morning rolled around and since we were all used to getting up early were all up by 8. We all fell asleep to LOTR the night before so ended up watching the end of it in the morning-such a great movie.

After the movie we were ready for breakfast so headed for the student center to try our luck at paphatas. Luckily the little shop that sells paphatas was open so we go up and order 7 paphatas with egg, pay and then wait. Well, the girl working comes back after we paid and tells us they don’t have eggs so it would have to be just plain. Fine with us. The problem came when it took her forever to give us back the extra money we paid for the eggs. I have said it a countless number of times but there is no idea of customer service so instead of telling us to hold on or be patient she just stares at us and keeps working with other customers. “Um, hello..are you going to give us change” or …..And that is how life is like here. There is no descriptions or sayings as to what is going on. Even with the paphatas themselves we waited like 20 minutes without one word from the people saying they are coming or just hold on. It just got so frustrating.

However we did finally get the paphatas which were amazing, then headed to Broadhurst to go to the Craft Market we wanted to go to last weekend but was closed. We pull up to the market and every place is closed again, shocker, except this one crazy, Indian looking store called Jazella. As we walk up the owner walks out and welcomes us for the big event. What?? Apparently she just got in new stock and was having a little welcoming party but no one showed up so we were welcome to all the food that was there. Score!! Coffee cake, muffins, grapes, coffee, juice, wine. Boy did we luck out. Of course though the owner was not a Matswana but was actually English and had lived in Bots for the past 25 years.  After talking to her for a bit and browsing her shop we decided to head over to another craft place. The owner was so nice and called to ensure they were open; we had 27 minutes to walk there. Grabbed all of our belongings and really huffed it down to the other shop. Show up at 12:55 (it closes at 1) and the gate is locked. What??? Within a couple of minutes the gate opens up and about 5 people leave so we ask them “Are  you still open” with their response being “Can’t you see we are leaving now.” Okay, this just confirms everything I just said about there being no customer service at all. We are here to buy things from you, hello????? It is just so frustrating because everyday on the street I am asked for money yet when I am actually willing to pay for things and want to spend money people are rude. Now these are gross generalizations but on the whole I have not found the Batswana people to be extremely welcoming or friendly or show great interest in my life except “How do you like Bots” and “give me this…”

Anyways we hung out at the closed shop for a bit before heading to the station for some MilkyLane (an icecream parlor chain). This is one place I love!!! The best ice cream I have had in a while. We were all exhausted yet enjoy each others company so four of us (me, Charlotte, Anthony and Kylee) literally hung out at Milky lane all afternoon just talking. We all are going through this really weird phase where we are tired of Bots and feeling uncomfortable. Even though we’ve been with our host families for about 3 months now we still don’t feel very completely comfortable and enjoy the company of other Americans so much more. I am at the point where I am not ready to come home yet am in a funk where I am just tired of being the white person, tired of getting harassed as I walk around with people yelling things at me like Ms. White, tired of not knowing the language and tired of not feeling comfortable. Yet on the other-side this past weekend I went rhino tracking!!! I guess I just have to weigh the ups with the downs and remember that I chose this country for the sole purpose of getting out of my comfort zone. Because of this I have had such personal growth and development, more so than I ever thought I would. I thought studying abroad would open me up to the customs and traditions of Botswana and although I have learned about Bots I have learned so much more about myself and accomplished so much since being here.

Monday came and went without much excitement except that I did get to go out to eat with Charlotte, Kylee, Anthony and Ashley at Linga Longa lounge for maraconi and cheese then more ice cream at Milky Lane. It was so much fun because for me it feels kind of like therapy. We all are experiencing similar feelings about our time here and what we are going through and because of this are have become linked and formed stronger bonds than normal friends. Yet even here we experienced the typical Batswana stone face, lack of customer service at Milky Lane. I ordered my whizzer (like a DQ blizzard) and asked for a lot of tennis biscuits and I literally got no reply from the worker. She just gave me a blank stare. I have no idea if she heard me or if there were still whizzers, just a blank stare. It is so frustrating. Then she charged me for extra biscuits even though I just asked for a lot of them and when I asked why they were charging me, she mocked me. I guess I just had to pay extra for the attitude. This place!!!!

Tuesday was my day to volunteer at Old Naledi so I get up, do some homework, then head to the combi stop. I actually ran into a friend at the combi stop who I met when I taught the deaf students aerobics a couple of weeks ago so that was nice. But once on the combi my whole day changed. As soon as I got on, these two guys in the front seat turned around and kept asking me how I was doing, shouting because I was all the way in back. Then they said something in Setswana and the whole car erupts into some conversation which I feel had to do with me, but not sure. Some people get out and the guy who was yelling at me comes and sits right next to me with his arm around me and starts asking if I will take him to America and why I don’t want to take him to America. I just said I had no idea what he was saying and ignored him, kept reading my book until he got the jist. He finally gets out yet once out puts him arm in the window to touch my arm as the combi drives away. The part that bothered me the most about this was that everyone in the combi saw how annoying this guy was being yet did nothing to stop it. It just was frustrating.

The day didn’t get much better as I finally show up to Old Naledi only to be told there is no gas in the kitchen and therefore no cooking and no kids to play with. Back to the combi stop where yet again I have some guy on the combi who keeps talking to me. He wasn’t as creepy but I was obviously trying to ignore him.

I finally get to campus and just hide out in the computer lab all day working on a paper, using the internet to get some things done and decompressing from my overwhelming morning. Went to volleyball practice which was fine except near the end we see these huge storm clouds and lightening bolts in the sky and then massive gusts of wind that cause the sand to whip around and exfoliate your entire body which hurt miserably. Anthony and I finally get a combi to the station and once at the station, the heavens open up and it pours. We thought we could wait it out and decided to get Milky Lane (yet again!) since it was buy one get one free day! Ice cream was great but no change in weather so I finally get home soaked! Although today was a very stressful and overwhelming, frustrating day there were definitely still lessons and highlights that I take away from it. Playing volleyball as I see the sky light up in the distance with bolts was really cool. Having the ice cream lady recognize Anthony and me was funny and she at least was very, very pleasant.

Highs and lows. That is my motto here as there are so many great things that happen everyday that could never happen in the states. So many little funny stories and anecdotes that just make my time here so amazing. Then there are also those frustrating, crazy and sometimes scary scenarios that make my skin crawl and bring that homesick feeling right to the surface. No one said studying abroad was easy especially studying abroad in Africa where so many things are so different from home. And especially in Bots where the  culture has not proven to be very welcoming to newcomers and stereotypes about whites are based on shows like “Keeping up with the Kardashians” creating the idea that all whites are rich and live in Hollywood. However even today, a day that has made me miss the US more than ever, I am happy to be studying abroad, appreciate everything I am learning and valuing the life lessons I am learning.