Hello Everyone!
I'm in Cape Town. I know I've been a slacker with updating my blog! I'm sorry! There just isn't enough time in a day. And when there is time there is no internet! I promise that I'll give you all the juicy details as soon as possible!
As for now I've been sand boarding hiked through the desert, taken a 22 hour bus ride to Cape Town, visited Long Street and table mountian! Traveling is amazing!
Love you all!
Sunday, December 9, 2012
Monday, December 3, 2012
Namibia
Hello there!!
Okay, I don't have much time so let's do this!
We left the 30th for Windhoek, Namibia at 7am. We finally arrived around 8pm at night. It was a longgg bush ride. Yet, we lucked out because each of us had three seats to our selves. We each slept hours! The bus dropped us off in the the main business district. We walked a couple of blocks to our hostel and checked in. It's called the cardboard box and it was super busy! We quickly made dinner. Rebecca's mom had sent her a thanksgiving box that of course didn't arrive until the day before she left, so we are using the "thanksgiving dinner" on the road! Friday night we had mashed potatoes, stuffing, and baked beans. Good stuff! We were all pretty exhausted so we climbed into our tent pretty early. Now unfortunately, it is a lot colder in Windhoek than Gaborone. I don't have a sleeping bag, only a blanket, until Emma gets here. So It was kind of a cold night. You would htink I would have at least packed a jacket... but oohhhh no. Not Kaylee. Oh well, I apparently like to learn the hard way.
So Saturday morning we woke up, ate free pancakes from the hostel, and drank warm tea. YUM! We packed up and journeyed out into Windhoek. We bought our bus tickets to cape town, Audrey posted a package, and then we hopped on a combi (or they call them taxis I think). We left around 10 and finally got to Swakopmund around 4-5ish. We again got dropped in the central business distract nd walked a couple blocks to our hostel, the Desert Sky. It's a really nice place and our tent is set up on Grass. GRASS! Oh what a wonderful thing to sleep on! We made cheesy potato soup, added some noodles, and played cards. After a run, we met some really cool people in the kitchen and just talked to them for awhile. Around 10:30 we went out dancing. There was a good dj and a diverse group of people! I borrowed several extra blankets from the hostel and slept like a baby!
Sunday was interesting because the power was out all day. They were doing some construction work or something. We got up that morning and at the rest of our soup before it could go bad. We lathered up on sunscreen and headed to the beach. The water was a bit cold but we jumped in anyway. We walked a bit and napped a bit. Oh, how I love the beach! Afterwards, we walked around the city a bit but it was a like a ghost town because there was no power. Swakopmund is really pretty. It's like a little Europe. It use to be some German colony so you can see the influences everywhere.
We stopped at the grocery store (yay for generators) and then headed back for lunch. After yogurt and peanut butter banana sandwich's we headed back out into the town. We had a cappuccino at a small cafe and read for a bit. On the way back, it was decided we would run instead of nap. Eke. Have I mentioned how beastly these two girls are? Well they are. Just keep running, Just keep running.... After our run, we came back and showered. We hooked up with three guys from our hostel and went to the lighthouse to eat. It was a lot of fun and we had a beautiful view. Back at the hostel, we started a good game of cards and baked cookies. Finally the six of us headed out to play pool. It's embarrassing how bad I am! It was a late night and I was asleep before my head hit the pillow (which is a pile of my clothes bunched together.)
This morning we got up, wolfed down breakfast and got picked up for sand boarding. I originally just signed up for sand sledding because it was 10 dollars cheaper than snowboarding, but when we got there they let me also do sand boarding! Woo Hoo! It's like snowboarding. I had a blast! Climbing back up the dune was quite a workout! We have a cool video highlighting our experience. After we were all too tired to keep hiking back up the dune, we went back to the truck and had lunch.
The rest of the day was lazy. Naps, food, and window shopping! Good times. Now it's 10 at night and I think we are going to crash!
Catch up with yall soon!
Okay, I don't have much time so let's do this!
We left the 30th for Windhoek, Namibia at 7am. We finally arrived around 8pm at night. It was a longgg bush ride. Yet, we lucked out because each of us had three seats to our selves. We each slept hours! The bus dropped us off in the the main business district. We walked a couple of blocks to our hostel and checked in. It's called the cardboard box and it was super busy! We quickly made dinner. Rebecca's mom had sent her a thanksgiving box that of course didn't arrive until the day before she left, so we are using the "thanksgiving dinner" on the road! Friday night we had mashed potatoes, stuffing, and baked beans. Good stuff! We were all pretty exhausted so we climbed into our tent pretty early. Now unfortunately, it is a lot colder in Windhoek than Gaborone. I don't have a sleeping bag, only a blanket, until Emma gets here. So It was kind of a cold night. You would htink I would have at least packed a jacket... but oohhhh no. Not Kaylee. Oh well, I apparently like to learn the hard way.
So Saturday morning we woke up, ate free pancakes from the hostel, and drank warm tea. YUM! We packed up and journeyed out into Windhoek. We bought our bus tickets to cape town, Audrey posted a package, and then we hopped on a combi (or they call them taxis I think). We left around 10 and finally got to Swakopmund around 4-5ish. We again got dropped in the central business distract nd walked a couple blocks to our hostel, the Desert Sky. It's a really nice place and our tent is set up on Grass. GRASS! Oh what a wonderful thing to sleep on! We made cheesy potato soup, added some noodles, and played cards. After a run, we met some really cool people in the kitchen and just talked to them for awhile. Around 10:30 we went out dancing. There was a good dj and a diverse group of people! I borrowed several extra blankets from the hostel and slept like a baby!
Sunday was interesting because the power was out all day. They were doing some construction work or something. We got up that morning and at the rest of our soup before it could go bad. We lathered up on sunscreen and headed to the beach. The water was a bit cold but we jumped in anyway. We walked a bit and napped a bit. Oh, how I love the beach! Afterwards, we walked around the city a bit but it was a like a ghost town because there was no power. Swakopmund is really pretty. It's like a little Europe. It use to be some German colony so you can see the influences everywhere.
We stopped at the grocery store (yay for generators) and then headed back for lunch. After yogurt and peanut butter banana sandwich's we headed back out into the town. We had a cappuccino at a small cafe and read for a bit. On the way back, it was decided we would run instead of nap. Eke. Have I mentioned how beastly these two girls are? Well they are. Just keep running, Just keep running.... After our run, we came back and showered. We hooked up with three guys from our hostel and went to the lighthouse to eat. It was a lot of fun and we had a beautiful view. Back at the hostel, we started a good game of cards and baked cookies. Finally the six of us headed out to play pool. It's embarrassing how bad I am! It was a late night and I was asleep before my head hit the pillow (which is a pile of my clothes bunched together.)
This morning we got up, wolfed down breakfast and got picked up for sand boarding. I originally just signed up for sand sledding because it was 10 dollars cheaper than snowboarding, but when we got there they let me also do sand boarding! Woo Hoo! It's like snowboarding. I had a blast! Climbing back up the dune was quite a workout! We have a cool video highlighting our experience. After we were all too tired to keep hiking back up the dune, we went back to the truck and had lunch.
The rest of the day was lazy. Naps, food, and window shopping! Good times. Now it's 10 at night and I think we are going to crash!
Catch up with yall soon!
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Bags packed
Hello everyone!
Just going to throw in a very quick few words...
My room is officially packed. It took me all morning to organize everything. I had to figure out what I was taking, what I was packing in my suitcase, and what I was giving away. I am now freshly showered, dressed in my travel clothes, and winding down. I'm walking my suitcase over the the vet clinic now where it will stay until January 8th when I come back to pick it up.
I leave for Namibia in the morning with two of my friends. Rebecca is from Washington/Montana and Audrey is from Nebraska. From Namibia we head to Cape town. Emma is meeting me in Cape town. T minus 13 days. WOOOO HOOOO!
I am going to try and keep my blog updated as best as possible. I know I've been doing a slack job lately. But hopefully now I will have more exciting things to tell you about than "oh I went to the vet today". Because really, all I've been doing is going to the vet. I love it there. Saying goodbye there was hard, really really hard!
I sure am going to miss the people I've grown to know and love. Moving on isn't easy! What a wonderful experience I've had.
Love you all!
Just going to throw in a very quick few words...
My room is officially packed. It took me all morning to organize everything. I had to figure out what I was taking, what I was packing in my suitcase, and what I was giving away. I am now freshly showered, dressed in my travel clothes, and winding down. I'm walking my suitcase over the the vet clinic now where it will stay until January 8th when I come back to pick it up.
I leave for Namibia in the morning with two of my friends. Rebecca is from Washington/Montana and Audrey is from Nebraska. From Namibia we head to Cape town. Emma is meeting me in Cape town. T minus 13 days. WOOOO HOOOO!
I am going to try and keep my blog updated as best as possible. I know I've been doing a slack job lately. But hopefully now I will have more exciting things to tell you about than "oh I went to the vet today". Because really, all I've been doing is going to the vet. I love it there. Saying goodbye there was hard, really really hard!
I sure am going to miss the people I've grown to know and love. Moving on isn't easy! What a wonderful experience I've had.
Love you all!
Monday, November 26, 2012
Days fly by
Dumela!
I just finished my french test. It was actually a bit trickier than I thought it was going to be but neverless done! I checked out the laundry situation but each machine had a line attached to it. I just didn't have the patience. I'm now at the vet clinic. I plan on studying until lunch ends and patients come in at 4.
My weekend was great as usual. It's hard to believe it will be my last weekend in Gabs. RAWR!
Friday, I spent all day at the vet clinic. We were able to go out on a farm call. The farmer met us at the clinic and we drove about thrirty minutes outside of gabs to a dirt road going into the bush. We then drove thorugh the bush for another thirty minutes. We would occasionally pass cows, goats, and little houses. We finally arrived at this guys cattle post. There we injected fifteen heifers with hormones in order to get them sychronized for aritificial insemination. It was awesome! Boy, have I missed cows. The cattle post had a small house (shack), several dogs, cats, and chickens. After injections, we made our way back with the addition of a chicken as a thank you gift. The trip was made more interesting by the farmer. He informed Nora and I he wanted a white girl. I went on to ask why the color mattered and blah blah. Ya know the usual. He introduced me to his farm crew as his wife. Thankfully, I understand enough setswana to have corrected that. (Although, It's probably a good thing I don't understand too much setswana. Sometimes it's better just not to know what's being said...) He wanted to pick me up from UB to get "more information", but I unfortunelty had to decline. The guy was actually prety nice and I took it in a joking way (which I think it mostly was). You know you've adjusted to a place when you can joke openly and barely notice when someone is trying to make you his wife. He he Oh Africa, I'm going to miss you!!
When we got back from the farm, I ventured to spar to get food. I got their version of Mac and Cheese and baked beans. Good stuff! The afternoon was pretty slow. Not too many patients. After work we went with the youngest vet, our friend, Dr. Mo to get drinks at Quest. It's the place above spar that Nora and I have been to a couple of times. I was home by 9 and asleep by 10:30. Hey Now, not all Friday nights can be super exciting!
I work up early to run Saturday and it was still raining. Did I mention it rained pretty much Thursday though Sunday? Well it did. And it was wonderful! It made it soooo much cooler. I got to sleep with a sheet and a blanket! Usually I just sprawl across my bed, covered in bug spray, and sweat. Nice image huh? You win some, you loose some.
Anywho, Saturday Nora and I went to the clinic in the morning and got off at 12:30. We then headed to Game City Mall. I got a bathing suit. Phew. Boy did I need one. My tankini skirt was so streched out it came to by knees. Sexy times. Every time I wore it to the pool I could hear my mothers voice inside my head going on and on. So there you go phantom mom, I got a new swim suit. I also got a small towel from Game to take with me backpacking. (Side note: Game is a huge super center that is actually owned by walmart. Eish. Walmart is taking over the world.) After our successful shopping experience and a yummy lunch, we grabbed a ice cream cone from KFC and went back to UB. I took a shower and then we were off again on our way to River walk. We had a goodbye dinner at Prima and said our final goodbyes to several people. No Bueno. We taxied out to Bull and Bush where we met up with our friend from the vet clinic. There is where I spent my last Saturday night out in Gabs.
Sunday, I journeyed to Mugg and Bean to study for the afternoon. They forced me to study for three hours which I guess was a good thing. I opted for botomless coffee, drank three cups, and was wired until 11 at night. Oh caffeine! :) Sunday night, we ate dinner together and cut hair. I had them cut the tips off mine because the split ends were really bad. I then attempted to put layers in audreys hair..... oh boy. Never cut hair a day in my life.... she sure is trusting!
I leave this Friday and head to Namibia. I will be there several days with two of my friends. I then come back to Gabs to pick up Emma. We will head down to Cape Town and then slowly make our way back up the coast of SA. We fly out of Gabs on January 9th. I will be home on the 10th. I have been really excited about traveling but I think right now I'm a bit bummed about leaving. I know that when I get to Namibia I will again be pumped. I'm so lucky to have this opportunity!!!
I just finished my french test. It was actually a bit trickier than I thought it was going to be but neverless done! I checked out the laundry situation but each machine had a line attached to it. I just didn't have the patience. I'm now at the vet clinic. I plan on studying until lunch ends and patients come in at 4.
My weekend was great as usual. It's hard to believe it will be my last weekend in Gabs. RAWR!
Friday, I spent all day at the vet clinic. We were able to go out on a farm call. The farmer met us at the clinic and we drove about thrirty minutes outside of gabs to a dirt road going into the bush. We then drove thorugh the bush for another thirty minutes. We would occasionally pass cows, goats, and little houses. We finally arrived at this guys cattle post. There we injected fifteen heifers with hormones in order to get them sychronized for aritificial insemination. It was awesome! Boy, have I missed cows. The cattle post had a small house (shack), several dogs, cats, and chickens. After injections, we made our way back with the addition of a chicken as a thank you gift. The trip was made more interesting by the farmer. He informed Nora and I he wanted a white girl. I went on to ask why the color mattered and blah blah. Ya know the usual. He introduced me to his farm crew as his wife. Thankfully, I understand enough setswana to have corrected that. (Although, It's probably a good thing I don't understand too much setswana. Sometimes it's better just not to know what's being said...) He wanted to pick me up from UB to get "more information", but I unfortunelty had to decline. The guy was actually prety nice and I took it in a joking way (which I think it mostly was). You know you've adjusted to a place when you can joke openly and barely notice when someone is trying to make you his wife. He he Oh Africa, I'm going to miss you!!
When we got back from the farm, I ventured to spar to get food. I got their version of Mac and Cheese and baked beans. Good stuff! The afternoon was pretty slow. Not too many patients. After work we went with the youngest vet, our friend, Dr. Mo to get drinks at Quest. It's the place above spar that Nora and I have been to a couple of times. I was home by 9 and asleep by 10:30. Hey Now, not all Friday nights can be super exciting!
I work up early to run Saturday and it was still raining. Did I mention it rained pretty much Thursday though Sunday? Well it did. And it was wonderful! It made it soooo much cooler. I got to sleep with a sheet and a blanket! Usually I just sprawl across my bed, covered in bug spray, and sweat. Nice image huh? You win some, you loose some.
Anywho, Saturday Nora and I went to the clinic in the morning and got off at 12:30. We then headed to Game City Mall. I got a bathing suit. Phew. Boy did I need one. My tankini skirt was so streched out it came to by knees. Sexy times. Every time I wore it to the pool I could hear my mothers voice inside my head going on and on. So there you go phantom mom, I got a new swim suit. I also got a small towel from Game to take with me backpacking. (Side note: Game is a huge super center that is actually owned by walmart. Eish. Walmart is taking over the world.) After our successful shopping experience and a yummy lunch, we grabbed a ice cream cone from KFC and went back to UB. I took a shower and then we were off again on our way to River walk. We had a goodbye dinner at Prima and said our final goodbyes to several people. No Bueno. We taxied out to Bull and Bush where we met up with our friend from the vet clinic. There is where I spent my last Saturday night out in Gabs.
Sunday, I journeyed to Mugg and Bean to study for the afternoon. They forced me to study for three hours which I guess was a good thing. I opted for botomless coffee, drank three cups, and was wired until 11 at night. Oh caffeine! :) Sunday night, we ate dinner together and cut hair. I had them cut the tips off mine because the split ends were really bad. I then attempted to put layers in audreys hair..... oh boy. Never cut hair a day in my life.... she sure is trusting!
I leave this Friday and head to Namibia. I will be there several days with two of my friends. I then come back to Gabs to pick up Emma. We will head down to Cape Town and then slowly make our way back up the coast of SA. We fly out of Gabs on January 9th. I will be home on the 10th. I have been really excited about traveling but I think right now I'm a bit bummed about leaving. I know that when I get to Namibia I will again be pumped. I'm so lucky to have this opportunity!!!
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Happy Thanksgiving!!!
Happy Thanksgiving!!
November 22nd 2012!
This will sure be a thanksgiving I remember!
This afternoon at six o'clock about ten of us met up and
shared food. Each of us brought
something and we all pigged out. I mean
PIGGED out. Uhg I’m so full! But I guess that’s part of thanksgiving
too. Our food was unique because none of
us had a kitchen to use but we did have hot water kettles! I took cous cous with peppers, peanuts, soy
mince, and sauce. It turned out
well! We had burritos with soy mince,
beans, lettuce, and tomatoes, corn on the cob, mashed potatoes, guacamole,
chips, bread, chocolate yum yum balls, apple pie, peach and custard, mochas,
soda, and a partridge in a pear tree!
Good times! Our table consisted
of Canadians, Australians, a Swiss, a Jamaican/American and of course a couple of Americans! For many, it was a first thanksgiving. How cool
is it that I got to share food with people from different parts of the country
in Africa! Gah, I have so much to be
thankful for! After dinner, a few of us
walked to the park right outside of campus and played. I don’t care how old you are teeter totters
are still fun!
I wrote a test today (they saw sit for a test or write a
test… not “took a test”) that was pretty easy and I went to the vet clinic. I had an egg and cheese papata for lunch and
it’s starting to sprinkle now and cool off.
It’s been a pretty great day!
Tomorrow, I’m off on another farm visit!
Can’t wait!
Hope you all are having a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
In denile!
I am in denile!!!
I do not leave Botswana next week!
Classes are not over!
I do not have exams tomorrow!
My time at the vet clinic is not limited!
My supply of papatas are not coming to an end!
NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO
I believe my state of denile is moving into panic mode. This can't be the end. It just can't. Where did time go?
I can say I've been making the best of it. I've stayed so busy! This weekend I visited malls looking for small souveners, I ate at "chickin lickin" for the first time, I hiked Kgale hill again, I relaxed by a hotel pool, I watched several movies, I read a little bit, I swam laps, and I ran. I also had the best mango mojitos at a restaurant in Riverwalk. It was a goodbye dinner for our friends from Sweden. They left Monday. It looks like the goodbyes have started already. :(
I started off my Monday at the vet clinic. It was pretty busy! I didn't get out of there until 2. I was able to see a small surgery to remove a fatty tumor off an old dog. After I left the vet clinic, I hurried home to eat lunch and then met my friends at the UB pool. It feels so refreshing to jump in the pool when it is 100 degrees out! After the pool, I finally realized that I had exams approaching and then I should probably study. I put in a couple hours of studying (check), went for a run, and then got ready for a night out on the town. By night out, I mean going to the movies, but hey you have to get excited about the small things! A group of us went to see twilight. Yes, yes, judge me if you must but it had to happen. I enjoyed an apple, sour gummy worms, and flavored water while checking out Edward and Jacob. It happens.
This morning I propelled myself out of bed, ate delicious sorghum porridge, and headed to the vet clinic. It turned out to be one of the most interesting and diverse days I've had there. The morning started off with a rabbit who had some form of paralysis. It's the first bunny I've seen in bots. Oh it was so soft and fluffy!! Cute! (Emma, couldn't help but hear your "bunny" voice running through by head.) We had a couple dogs in for regular vaccinations, a dog in with back leg paralysis (diagnosed to be tick paralysis), a sick dog we ran blood on (turned out to be some type of blood parasite), and a dog with a bone stuck in it's throat. We then had a farm call at 3. I was sooo excited for the farm call. I hadn't been on one before. We went out to Odi, down this long dirt road and ended at a small hut with goats. There were adults and kids (baby goats) fenced in. The kids had been dying at a high number in the last several days. The vet diagnosed them with coccidia and we gave each of the 28 kids injections. It was a great experience! First, can I say just how cute baby goats are! Second, there was a little girl out there helping us and I assume her parents round up the goats and she was a beast. She moved those kids around like a boss even though they were probably half her size.
The doctor and tech dropped me off at UB when we finished and I made it back to the dorms just in time to join the group run. Eish, I actually wasn't excited about this. But neverless, I ran! CHECK! After our run, we drank iced coffee and caught up as we continued to avoid studying. Now, I should probably really hanker down and read about the kidneys and the wonderful work of nephrons.
Sala Sentle
(Stay well)
I do not leave Botswana next week!
Classes are not over!
I do not have exams tomorrow!
My time at the vet clinic is not limited!
My supply of papatas are not coming to an end!
NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO
I believe my state of denile is moving into panic mode. This can't be the end. It just can't. Where did time go?
I can say I've been making the best of it. I've stayed so busy! This weekend I visited malls looking for small souveners, I ate at "chickin lickin" for the first time, I hiked Kgale hill again, I relaxed by a hotel pool, I watched several movies, I read a little bit, I swam laps, and I ran. I also had the best mango mojitos at a restaurant in Riverwalk. It was a goodbye dinner for our friends from Sweden. They left Monday. It looks like the goodbyes have started already. :(
I started off my Monday at the vet clinic. It was pretty busy! I didn't get out of there until 2. I was able to see a small surgery to remove a fatty tumor off an old dog. After I left the vet clinic, I hurried home to eat lunch and then met my friends at the UB pool. It feels so refreshing to jump in the pool when it is 100 degrees out! After the pool, I finally realized that I had exams approaching and then I should probably study. I put in a couple hours of studying (check), went for a run, and then got ready for a night out on the town. By night out, I mean going to the movies, but hey you have to get excited about the small things! A group of us went to see twilight. Yes, yes, judge me if you must but it had to happen. I enjoyed an apple, sour gummy worms, and flavored water while checking out Edward and Jacob. It happens.
This morning I propelled myself out of bed, ate delicious sorghum porridge, and headed to the vet clinic. It turned out to be one of the most interesting and diverse days I've had there. The morning started off with a rabbit who had some form of paralysis. It's the first bunny I've seen in bots. Oh it was so soft and fluffy!! Cute! (Emma, couldn't help but hear your "bunny" voice running through by head.) We had a couple dogs in for regular vaccinations, a dog in with back leg paralysis (diagnosed to be tick paralysis), a sick dog we ran blood on (turned out to be some type of blood parasite), and a dog with a bone stuck in it's throat. We then had a farm call at 3. I was sooo excited for the farm call. I hadn't been on one before. We went out to Odi, down this long dirt road and ended at a small hut with goats. There were adults and kids (baby goats) fenced in. The kids had been dying at a high number in the last several days. The vet diagnosed them with coccidia and we gave each of the 28 kids injections. It was a great experience! First, can I say just how cute baby goats are! Second, there was a little girl out there helping us and I assume her parents round up the goats and she was a beast. She moved those kids around like a boss even though they were probably half her size.
The doctor and tech dropped me off at UB when we finished and I made it back to the dorms just in time to join the group run. Eish, I actually wasn't excited about this. But neverless, I ran! CHECK! After our run, we drank iced coffee and caught up as we continued to avoid studying. Now, I should probably really hanker down and read about the kidneys and the wonderful work of nephrons.
Sala Sentle
(Stay well)
Saturday, November 17, 2012
I'm a morning person
Yep, There's no denying it, I love the mornings! I'm so much more proactive in the mornings! At night, I just kind of bum around and can't really motivate myself to do anything productive. I start off my post like this to explain why I haven't blogged in a week. You see, classes ended Tuesday and therefore my week has been completely open. Not a thing planned, zero, zip, nada. This led to lazy times and lazy times build off of each other. It's like a disease. Once you do one thing lazy, you continue with the pattern! Now, now. I'm not saying I've been sitting in bed for the last three days! I have got to the vets clinic several times, I've run, and I've continued to attempt to swim laps! Yet, I've also managed to watch four movies in the last three days and I haven't really attacked anything on my to-do list. Anywho, back to not being a night person. You see, I get back to my room after the vet clinic or pool or whatever and then following with my relaxing day, I feel unmotivated to blog! In my defense, there isn't really much to blog about anywho!
So it's almost 9am here and I've been up since 7! I figured it was about time to check in. I'm heading to riverwalk at 10:30 with a friend in order to look at their sovereign booths. They have this really cool elephant canvas thing I want!
As for slightly interesting things that have happened this week:
So it's almost 9am here and I've been up since 7! I figured it was about time to check in. I'm heading to riverwalk at 10:30 with a friend in order to look at their sovereign booths. They have this really cool elephant canvas thing I want!
As for slightly interesting things that have happened this week:
- Tuesday night we went to a karaoke at a local bar down the road. I would say it was about the same as any karaoke experience. A lot of people sing, some pretty good and some too drunk to realize how horrible they sound. Several people out of our group sang/made fools of ourselves. It was fun and a nice way to say goodbye to my friends who were going to scuba diving training for a week.
- There is a dog at the vet that has practically been abandon my its owner. The dog has been ready to go home for over a week now and the owner will not come pick it up. Needless to say, I've started spoiling the dog. When I'm at the clinic I always let her run around, clean her cage, and give her treats. It's gotten bad enough hat she starts crying if I run into the room. Oops. Mom, can we keep her???? (He he just kidding.... kind of)
- I got to watch a surgery where they pulled the pins out of the femur of a dog. It was super hot in the surgery room (well it's hot everywhere) and they hadn't turned the air conditioner on. I was doing well and watching eagerly when I started to feel a bit light headed. Gosh Darn it body! Deal with it! I've been watching spays and neuters and I've been fine!! I guess the combination of the heat, smell, and blood got to me. Everyone says it will pass and you'll get use to it but it sure is annoying!
- I tried a fat cake with mince meat (ground beef) and it was absolutely amazing. I really wasn't going to try one of these but a few friends told me I had to. I'm glad I listened. Wow. I know it was absolutely horrible for me but sometimes you have to spoil yourself.
- I got to talk to my mom and dad yesterday! They are driving up to Iowa. Dad is going hunting and Mom is hanging with the fams. It was great to talk to them both. I wish I could be there but luckily I don't really miss it too bad or feel homesick. I think it's because I can't really wrap my head around the fact it's November. awww blissful denial!
- Last night, I woke up sweating. It was so hot. I grabbed a cold water bottle from the fridge, laid it on my neck, and tried desperately to fall back asleep. Oh good times. Thank goodness for my refrigerator. Thank you sweet baby Jesus to the inventor of air conditioning.
- I officially turned down proceeding any further with my application status at the SC aquariums sea turtle internship for next semester. It was a tough thing to do but I've decided i just want to stay in Columbia before I (hopefully) trek off for vet school. I have been in contact with Riverbanks zoo and I hope to volunteer there a bit. What I really need to do is get under a vet to shadow.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Check List
Realizing that our time is drawing to an end, my friends and I have been forced to reexamine our to-do list. All of a sudden the things we've "had all semester to do" need to be done within the 2.5 weeks. WHAT!? With the end just around the corner, I managed to pack my weekend full.
I started off my Friday morning with a french test that was a bit tricky. I continued on to my dynamics of savanna ecosystems lab. We played with dirt, watched a demonstration, and were informed that we didn't have to write a lab report. With that, I kicked off my weekend! I meandered back to my dorm and had a delicious salad with cottage cheese and beans. I decided to punt going to the swimming pool in order to take a nap. At 3:20, I met Nora and we walked to the Vet. It was one of the hottest walks I've had. I was a hot sweaty mess by the time we made it there. It ended up being a pretty slow day so the vet decided then would be a good time to check records and call patients who are overdue on yearly vaccinations. Guess who the lucky caller was.... ding ding ding. Moi! I made the new vet, fresh out of vet school do the first call because I was nervous. It went smoothly. I picked up the phone and called my first victim, I mean client. The lady's record indicated she had three dogs, all two years past due for their vaccines. Here is about how the conversation went...
Me: "Hello, this is Kaylee and I am calling from the Gaborone Veterinary Clinic. We were looking through our records and we have here that Jersey rose, sparky, and tinker are all past due on vaccinations.
Lady: "They are all deceased" in a quiet voice with a thick Indian accent
Me: "All three of them??"
Lady: "Yes"
Me "Oh.... I'm so sorry for your loss"
Lady: "Thanks:
Me "Well, have a nice day"
I hang up the phone and the room full of three vets and Nora all start cracking up. What in the world made me say "all three of them"!! I think I was hoping she has just said like "jersey rose" but ohhh nooo! So as my luck would have it, that was my first call. The second call was also a bit of a fail. The man had a dog who was past due. I called him, he answered, the conversation started as before. Except, he couldn't understand me. He kept saying what? huh? and I kept repeating myself. Finally, I handed the phone to one of the vets and he proceeded to speak to him in setswana. My third "successful" phone call (because several people didn't pick up) was with a very nice woman. The only problem was she wasn't actually the owner of the dog. She just happened to have the owners phone. She was kind of confused with the processes but I think I managed to get my point across to her, who will now hopefully actually tell the owner. Thankfully, by the time I finished that conversation it was time to go. Phew.
From the vet clinic Nora and I met our friends at an Indian food festival. It was located at the Hare Krishna Temple. The festival was great! We each bought several different types of food and pigged out! We then split an assorted box of sweets. They were okay... kind of different. The festival also had henna tattoos and things for sale. At the festival we met a very nice guy, probably a few years older than us, who told us a bit about the Hare Krishna movement and invited us back Sunday night for "philosophy talk, dancing, and food." More on this later...
After we had stuffed ourselves we decided to head back to UB. We started off towards rail park where we could potentially catch a cab. Then we decided to just walk the whole way since we were in a walking kind of mood and had quite a bit of food that needed to be walked off. Just a short distance past rail park we were stopped by two men. One had a police uniform on and the other had a bright orange vest. It ended up being the official deputy director of the police... or something like that. Moral of the story is that he was a big wig in the police department. They had been driving back from some meeting thing and seen the five of us walking. They were none to happy. He gave us a speech on how people think white girls have money and will easily target us. He went on about how his job was to protect us but how could he do that when we were walking around at night like this. We were really close to their destination, the main police headquarters so he grabbed his bag from the car and walked with us to the headquarters (with a gun tucked into his pants if I might add.) The other guy met us at headquarters with the car. From there, they dropped us at UB with another stern speech on being smarter. This experience probably was a good wake up call. It's easy to gain a false sense of security and get comfortable with a place. Botswana has become my home, I walk everywhere, I know the city pretty well, and you just become a bit careless. It was super nice of them to see us and care enough to stop and question/lecture at us. He gave us his card and told us to contact him if we ever had any questions or such. Again and again, I meet wonderful people.
Saturday morning Nora and I went to the vet and then met some others at the Cresta Hotel in main mall. We went to the restaurant and had tea and scones. It overlooks main mall. It was a neat place and a good experience but a bit too fancy for me. This was something on our check list because the main character would always go there for in the Number One Ladies Detective Agency Series. It's a series that takes place in Gaborone!
I started off my Friday morning with a french test that was a bit tricky. I continued on to my dynamics of savanna ecosystems lab. We played with dirt, watched a demonstration, and were informed that we didn't have to write a lab report. With that, I kicked off my weekend! I meandered back to my dorm and had a delicious salad with cottage cheese and beans. I decided to punt going to the swimming pool in order to take a nap. At 3:20, I met Nora and we walked to the Vet. It was one of the hottest walks I've had. I was a hot sweaty mess by the time we made it there. It ended up being a pretty slow day so the vet decided then would be a good time to check records and call patients who are overdue on yearly vaccinations. Guess who the lucky caller was.... ding ding ding. Moi! I made the new vet, fresh out of vet school do the first call because I was nervous. It went smoothly. I picked up the phone and called my first victim, I mean client. The lady's record indicated she had three dogs, all two years past due for their vaccines. Here is about how the conversation went...
Me: "Hello, this is Kaylee and I am calling from the Gaborone Veterinary Clinic. We were looking through our records and we have here that Jersey rose, sparky, and tinker are all past due on vaccinations.
Lady: "They are all deceased" in a quiet voice with a thick Indian accent
Me: "All three of them??"
Lady: "Yes"
Me "Oh.... I'm so sorry for your loss"
Lady: "Thanks:
Me "Well, have a nice day"
I hang up the phone and the room full of three vets and Nora all start cracking up. What in the world made me say "all three of them"!! I think I was hoping she has just said like "jersey rose" but ohhh nooo! So as my luck would have it, that was my first call. The second call was also a bit of a fail. The man had a dog who was past due. I called him, he answered, the conversation started as before. Except, he couldn't understand me. He kept saying what? huh? and I kept repeating myself. Finally, I handed the phone to one of the vets and he proceeded to speak to him in setswana. My third "successful" phone call (because several people didn't pick up) was with a very nice woman. The only problem was she wasn't actually the owner of the dog. She just happened to have the owners phone. She was kind of confused with the processes but I think I managed to get my point across to her, who will now hopefully actually tell the owner. Thankfully, by the time I finished that conversation it was time to go. Phew.
From the vet clinic Nora and I met our friends at an Indian food festival. It was located at the Hare Krishna Temple. The festival was great! We each bought several different types of food and pigged out! We then split an assorted box of sweets. They were okay... kind of different. The festival also had henna tattoos and things for sale. At the festival we met a very nice guy, probably a few years older than us, who told us a bit about the Hare Krishna movement and invited us back Sunday night for "philosophy talk, dancing, and food." More on this later...
After we had stuffed ourselves we decided to head back to UB. We started off towards rail park where we could potentially catch a cab. Then we decided to just walk the whole way since we were in a walking kind of mood and had quite a bit of food that needed to be walked off. Just a short distance past rail park we were stopped by two men. One had a police uniform on and the other had a bright orange vest. It ended up being the official deputy director of the police... or something like that. Moral of the story is that he was a big wig in the police department. They had been driving back from some meeting thing and seen the five of us walking. They were none to happy. He gave us a speech on how people think white girls have money and will easily target us. He went on about how his job was to protect us but how could he do that when we were walking around at night like this. We were really close to their destination, the main police headquarters so he grabbed his bag from the car and walked with us to the headquarters (with a gun tucked into his pants if I might add.) The other guy met us at headquarters with the car. From there, they dropped us at UB with another stern speech on being smarter. This experience probably was a good wake up call. It's easy to gain a false sense of security and get comfortable with a place. Botswana has become my home, I walk everywhere, I know the city pretty well, and you just become a bit careless. It was super nice of them to see us and care enough to stop and question/lecture at us. He gave us his card and told us to contact him if we ever had any questions or such. Again and again, I meet wonderful people.
Saturday morning Nora and I went to the vet and then met some others at the Cresta Hotel in main mall. We went to the restaurant and had tea and scones. It overlooks main mall. It was a neat place and a good experience but a bit too fancy for me. This was something on our check list because the main character would always go there for in the Number One Ladies Detective Agency Series. It's a series that takes place in Gaborone!
After high tea, we walked to Riverwalk. Riverwalk has a special crafts market on weekends. Vendors come and set up booths. I’ve walked by it before but I’ve always been
to cheap to buy anything. Plus I had “plenty
of time” to buy things later. We arrived
at riverwalk on a mission to pick up a few items. I got these great Africa earrings. They screamed Kaylee. I couldn’t resist. I also picked up a really cool bracelet that
says Botswana on it. I looked for a
small painting that I had seen previously but they were out of stock. The lady said there would be more next week. It has an elephant on it and says
Dumela Botswana. I may or may not have
picked up a few other things. :)
New earrings all around!
After buying large bottles of water we began our journey
back to campus. By that time it was
already 4:30. Where had the day
gone!? I went to my room, ate, took a
shower, and finished watching the Help.
Woaza what a touching movie. I am
so thankful that things are not like that anymore. How did we ever live like that? And better yet, why is racism still present? Eish.
But I feel this is another post all together.
At 7, I met people for a food party, ninja, and cards. There was pizza, watermelon, popcorn,
guacamole, and coffee liquor drinks.
Yum! Later some of us went to
Bull and Bush. I think I danced 3 hours
straight. By the time 2am rolled around
my feet were raw and my left knee was sore.
Golly Jee it’s hard being old… 22 just ain’t what it use to be… he he :)
I rolled out of bed around 10am this morning and mustered up
the motivation to clean my room. It was
getting a bit scary. I don’t like to
have my room dirty in such a small space. It drives me crazy. I met friends at 11:15 and by then my room
was sparkling. We went to café feggo
and had a study session. I had another
milkshake that tasted like Christmas and split a meal. It was indeed forced study time. I have a Setswana test tomorrow and the oral
exam Tuesday, so I needed to study but I sure didn’t want to!
From Feggo, we walked to the temple. There were five of us and we decided to go
check it out. The guy we met Friday
night took us under his wing. He met us
at the temple, told us about the hare Krishnas, and introduced us to his
friends. We listened to the equivalent
of a sermon and then sung and danced.
After lighting candles it was food time.
The food was amazing Indian cuisine.
The population is mostly Indians but there were also several Batswana there. I’ve never heard of Hare Krishnas
before. We were asking a bunch of
questions to learn about it. To me it
seems a mix of Buddhism and Christianity.
There is also the Hare Krishna Movement,
which encourages people to love, understand, and respect each other and to love
their lord no matter your religion.
It was a cool experience. The
people were very welcoming. I find it
interesting to learn about new religions.
It was great how they emphasized loving one another and not judging each
other off of culture, religion, color of skin, etc.
Don’t worry family, we didn’t attempt to walk home
again. Our new friend gave us a ride
back and sent us with leftover food. I
already can’t wait for lunch tomorrow!
Well, that's all for now! Time to skype madre!
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
And that is that
OBAMA WINS!
That's the news I woke up to this morning. Phew! I'm good with that. Please let him help out students and student loans and wave some magic wand... or something like that. But no really. I'm glad campaigning is over. Now back to business. This was the first time I voted. I tried last election but somehow messed up my voter registration or something. Fail. But now I've officially voted! WOO HOOO! POWER! I just have to stop and remind myself that women in some parts of the world have no rights (or really people for that matter) and here I am equal and voting. Yay America! Since coming here, I've really developed a pride for America. Legit. I love her quite a bit. I don't really enjoy arguing over politics, nor do I pretend to know a great deal about it, so I'm not here to preach to you about whether Obama is good or bad but I am here to say YAY AMERICA! She may have her problems but I'm still lucky to be apart of the "American Family."
Anywho, today was a great day!
I ended up not going to Mokolodi because the manager wasn't there and we didn't have anything to do. I enjoyed my morning and then went to French at 8am. After french, I met up with some girls and headed to airport junction. It is the newest mall in Gabs and I had never been there. It is really nice and fancy. Their grocery store had price tags that were digital. I've never seen that before! We went to a small cafe, ate lunch, and studied. It was relaxing! I had an amazing meal and we split a piece of cheesecake! YUM!
This afternoon I successfully avoided completing a lab report while snacking on carrots and peanut butter. You may think that sounds bad but it's good! I think peanut butter on anything is pretty darn good. Yes, I may have an addiction.
I went for a run with the group I've been attempting to run with. I say attempting because they are all beast and they push me to my limit. I guess this is a good thing. There is only one way to get better. Until then... Just keep running... just keep running.... just keep running..... It's a love/hate relationship. During the run, I'm hating it and highly disliking them and their mad skills and then we reach the end and I'm like WOOO HOOO. Yeah, that's right! I just ran that! What now??!!! Bring it!!
Tonight, I continued to successfully avoid completing a lab report by attending movie night. We watched Pirates 4, ate pineapple, and drank mochas. What a good night!
I'm really going to miss my leisurely ways here. Too much more of this and I won't be able to adjust back into the western culture!
As a side note, can I just say it is really, really hot! It reached 100 here today and with no air in my room it's a bit on the toasty side. I would open my windows to let in a breeze but in with the breeze comes angry, ninja, unfair fighting mosquitos. Even with bug spray, they still get in a few bites here and there. It's quite an experience. We asked a lady on the combi today if it gets hotter than today. She said yes, much worse! Eke. I hope she was exaggerating!
Well, I suppose I should go lay in bed and sweat, I mean sleep! Tomorrow is the last Thursday I'll ever attend undergrad! WOO HOO!
Until Next Time!
I'll leave you with my favorite quote from bama's victory speech.
"I have always believed that hope is that stubborn thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us so long as we have the courage to keep reaching, to keep working, to keep fighting."
Yep! it's a cool quote right?! Keep hope and keep believing! Unlikely, crazy, good things can happen!
I'm in Africa, aren't I? :)
That's the news I woke up to this morning. Phew! I'm good with that. Please let him help out students and student loans and wave some magic wand... or something like that. But no really. I'm glad campaigning is over. Now back to business. This was the first time I voted. I tried last election but somehow messed up my voter registration or something. Fail. But now I've officially voted! WOO HOOO! POWER! I just have to stop and remind myself that women in some parts of the world have no rights (or really people for that matter) and here I am equal and voting. Yay America! Since coming here, I've really developed a pride for America. Legit. I love her quite a bit. I don't really enjoy arguing over politics, nor do I pretend to know a great deal about it, so I'm not here to preach to you about whether Obama is good or bad but I am here to say YAY AMERICA! She may have her problems but I'm still lucky to be apart of the "American Family."
Anywho, today was a great day!
I ended up not going to Mokolodi because the manager wasn't there and we didn't have anything to do. I enjoyed my morning and then went to French at 8am. After french, I met up with some girls and headed to airport junction. It is the newest mall in Gabs and I had never been there. It is really nice and fancy. Their grocery store had price tags that were digital. I've never seen that before! We went to a small cafe, ate lunch, and studied. It was relaxing! I had an amazing meal and we split a piece of cheesecake! YUM!
This afternoon I successfully avoided completing a lab report while snacking on carrots and peanut butter. You may think that sounds bad but it's good! I think peanut butter on anything is pretty darn good. Yes, I may have an addiction.
I went for a run with the group I've been attempting to run with. I say attempting because they are all beast and they push me to my limit. I guess this is a good thing. There is only one way to get better. Until then... Just keep running... just keep running.... just keep running..... It's a love/hate relationship. During the run, I'm hating it and highly disliking them and their mad skills and then we reach the end and I'm like WOOO HOOO. Yeah, that's right! I just ran that! What now??!!! Bring it!!
Tonight, I continued to successfully avoid completing a lab report by attending movie night. We watched Pirates 4, ate pineapple, and drank mochas. What a good night!
I'm really going to miss my leisurely ways here. Too much more of this and I won't be able to adjust back into the western culture!
As a side note, can I just say it is really, really hot! It reached 100 here today and with no air in my room it's a bit on the toasty side. I would open my windows to let in a breeze but in with the breeze comes angry, ninja, unfair fighting mosquitos. Even with bug spray, they still get in a few bites here and there. It's quite an experience. We asked a lady on the combi today if it gets hotter than today. She said yes, much worse! Eke. I hope she was exaggerating!
Well, I suppose I should go lay in bed and sweat, I mean sleep! Tomorrow is the last Thursday I'll ever attend undergrad! WOO HOO!
Until Next Time!
I'll leave you with my favorite quote from bama's victory speech.
"I have always believed that hope is that stubborn thing inside us that insists, despite all the evidence to the contrary, that something better awaits us so long as we have the courage to keep reaching, to keep working, to keep fighting."
Yep! it's a cool quote right?! Keep hope and keep believing! Unlikely, crazy, good things can happen!
I'm in Africa, aren't I? :)
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
Catch Up!
I know, I know. You
don’t hear from me for a week, and then I go and post two things on one
day. I’m a bit of an odd ball! This post will be a bit random but stick with
me.
I haven’t been posting as often because I have been
“playing” a lot more these last couple of weeks. I will blame it on peer pressure. Last week, I had several movie nights with
friends. I think I’ve watched more
movies here this semester than I have in the last two years. I’d say it’s acceptable. :)
We discovered
Fego. FEGO!!! Yum. I
salivate just thinking about it. Fego is
a small café we heard about that had delicious food, coffees, milkshakes, and
cake!! We first went there last Thursday night.
I split a wrap and got a peppermint coffee milkshake. It tasted like Christmas! The owner spoiled us with a piece of carrot
cake. It tasted like Thanksgiving! On one night, I covered two main holidays. We decided we would spend thanksgiving there! It was so good that we went again last night
(Monday.) I only bought a mango ice
drink and it was very refreshing. We will
really have to limit ourselves there.
Last Wednesday was Halloween! I went to Mokolodi as usual. My fellow volunteer Bryanna dressed up as cat
woman and passed out cookies. It was great and a fun way to get in the spirit
of Halloween. We left early on Wednesday and got back in
enough time to go swimming. UB has an
Olympic size swimming pool. It’s really
nice! I’ve been trying to go swim laps
regularly. Swimming is a lot harder than
I remember it. Yay workout!
This week is the last full week of classes! WAA HOOO!
The last day is next Wednesday. I
have a French test on Friday and a Setswana test on Monday and then I am done
until finals!
Yesterday, I went to the vet clinic. It was great as usual. I could go on about
this place forever. The people there are
great. I’ll have a lot of free time
around exams so I plan on spending my time there! After the vet clinic, I went swimming and
then walked to Riverwalk. I have been
craving veggies so I went to Woolworths.
Woolworths is a pretty high end store.
I bought fresh veggies and cottage cheese! YUM.
I will be having a delicious salad today!
- Traditionally, it is a good thing to be “fat”. It shows that you have enough money to feed yourself. Telling someone they are fat is(was) actually a compliment. Now that western influences have come in, it is of course good to be skinny. You can really see this on campus. Girls are tiny! Yet, once you go to more rural areas women are again “traditionally built”
- “An African body” refers to you having an African booty. Most girls here do in fact have an “baby birthing hips”.
- Girls here are a lot more comfortable with being naked. It’s not unusual to walk into the bathroom with a girl standing naked there or to have a girl walking around the common room without a shirt on. I think most of the world is okay with nakedness, it’s America/Canada/other odd people who find issues with it.
- I’ve realized that I now stare at my feet when I walk. I’m really trying to fix this and make myself look ahead. I think I started walking that way so that I don’t have to see people staring at me. Now granted, on campus people don’t stare that much anymore. I think they are use to the international kids. But, off campus people still tend to stare. It’s easy to avoid if you just don’t look. Now, I’m just trying to look straight ahead but look past people. People don’t stare with bad intentions. It’s just I stick out like a sore thumb. Sometimes you get guys who are just guys and like to call out, but it’s whatevs. I have realized that there’s a big difference in the number of call outs depending on whether I have my hair up or down. On the way to the clinic yesterday, one man told me I have “nice hair, British hair.” Uhhhh, Thank you? Call outs include just yelling, or maybe saying “white girl” or “lekoga” which means white person. It definitely keeps things interesting. It’s going to be odd to blend in again!
- Another thing with being white is that people assume you have money. They try and charge as much as possible for all things. You just have to be smart enough to haggle down for the correct price. It doesn’t happen often but sometimes people will ask you for money or for you to pay for something. For example, I was sitting on the combi next to this girl and she asked if I had money for her combi ride. Times like these I find myself in a delima. I did in fact have enough change to cover her combi but then what example am I setting? I’m just reinforcing the notion that white people have money and you can get it from them. Eish. I had to deny her the money but I didn’t feel good about it. Yet, if I feel the need to contribute/help out it’s better to donate to specific causes/places/schools etc so that they money does good.
- It’s kind of scary hearing what people think white people believe. This weekend we talked to several different people. One guy told us that we think less of him because of the color of his skin. He kept going on but what he was essentially saying was there weren’t any dark colored skin people where I lived and all people at my home hated blacks and thought they were ignorant and if he came there he would be shunned, etc etc etc. We tried talking to him and telling him that wasn’t true. I told him that he wouldn’t stand out where I’m from ontil he spoke because of his accent. He did not believe me when I told him that my school has blacks, whites, Hispanics, etc etc etc. Even after trying to convince him, he was still going on about his rants that in fact weren’t true. Sigh. We had another lady tell us that she heard Americans just refer to Batswana as dogs when Batswana visit the states. WHAT!? NOOOOOOO. GAH. Again, it’s really sad what people believe that I believe. No I’m not racist. No, I don’t think you’re an idiot. I came here to Africa to meet the people, experience the culture, and enjoy the nature. Do you really think I would have come here if I were a racist bigot???? Okay, Rant ending. I should state that I find this more in the rural areas, this is defiantly not the majority of people here.
- Most women carry umbrellas to protect themselves from the sun. At first I thought it looked a bit funny, but now I understand. The sun can be brutal. With skin cancer being the number one cancer in Botswana, I think it’s a good thing people are trying to protect themselves.
- Littering is a big problem here. Okay. Maybe “problem” isn’t the right word because the general consensus don’t consider it a problem. I should say it’s really popular. There is a severe lack of trash cans. Maybe if they could put trashcans around at regular intervals, then people would litter less. I’ve had to carry my trash quite a ways to find a place to throw it away. Yet, I just can’t bring myself to throw stuff on the ground.
I'm going to eat dinner!
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