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Happy Monday!

The weekend is again officially over and it's Monday!  Sometimes Mondays can be a bit of a bore but today has been GREAT!  Are you ready to hear why..... I GOT A PACKAGE!!!! YIPP YIPP HORRAY.   There is of course a story that goes along with the package and it's a good one.  I went to the international office and picked up my package slip.  I then went to the post office and got in line.  I had to stand in line for 30 minutes.  (No worries, I read.  I've learned to bring a book everywhere.)  There were two people working and about 5 or 6 people in front of me, yet the process was incredibly slow.  Plus, you have people who randomly just walk up, skip the line and get helped.  I really don't understand that process or why nobody seems to care, but it happens.  I managed to keep one guy from cutting me by simply explaining "all I had to do was pick up a package and it would only take a second."  How wrong I was.  I made it up to the counter, handed over my receipt and watched her pick up my box from the stack.   You know the moment you are soo excited and if you were on a tv show you would have your arms outstretched, music would be playing in the background, and a spotlight would be on you?  Yeah, that was me.  I was all but jumping up and down.  I went to the door expecting her to walk to me and hand it over but instead she went into a back room.  As I watched her, I saw her start to open my package.  At this point, I had my eyes glued to her.  I know my granny sends good stuff and I wasn't about to see any of it disappear, glass separating me or not.   I guess she saw that I was looking a little antsy and came back to a window.  The side of the box had split open and she wanted to check to see if anything was missing.  I told her I wouldn't know because I wasn't aware of what was in the box.  She then proceeded to pull each item out of the box and write it down.  I stood in the post office as she slowly unpacked my package for me.  I couldn't help laughing a bit.  I mean come on, of course this would happen.  I tried to keep my excitement and drool to a minimal as I saw her pull out shirts, smell good stuff, lotion,  nutter butters, twizzlers, chocolate, and all kinds of yummy tea/coffee.  Finally, she had written everything down and gave me the box.  I guess if I find there was something missing then I go back to her.

 

 Here's what my box included!  All that's missing from the picture is a yankee candle reed diffuser!

Now tell me all that stuff doesn't look awesome! 

(Please note the craisens!  That's how well my grandma knows me!)

 

This is pretty much how I felt about the box

This made my day!  Again, she knows me too well!

Here's my board with the addition of the pictures! 

SO THANK YOU IOWA GANG FOR MY WONDERFUL BOX!  

I LOVE YOU ALL VERY MUCH!!!!!!

This morning, after french, I headed to the vet clinic.  I made it just in time to see a dog get neutered  (they use castrated, not neutered).  I was super excited.  They put the dog under with a shot of something (deu....?) , sprayed the area with spirit (alcohol), washed their hands, and started cutting.  There were no gloves and no scrubbing the area.  Also, they did not hook the dog up to anesthesia.  They just administered another shot of stuff half way through the surgery.  The surgery itself was routine.  It's been a while since I've been in surgery so they smell and the heat got to me a bit.  I kept trying to fight it off.  It's not like the process grosses me out, so I'm not sure why my body reacts.  It's pretty normal for newbies and it's happened to me before.  I just got all hot and sweaty and then eventually light headed.  I stepped out as they were suturing the dog up to get some water.  After they sutured the dog up, they put it in a back cage to wake up.  All done!  I did ask how much the castration was and she said 600 pula.  (700 pula = 100 dollars.)  This is more than I expected it to be. At the clinic, I also assisted with a few consultations, shots, deworming, flea treatment, and a skin scrape to check for mites.   It was a very productive day!  They speak in Setswana a lot so I really try to listen and see if I can recognize any words.  I wish so badly that I understood!

My weekend was nothing to complain about!  A little adventure, relaxing, and a celebration.  What more could you want?

Saturday didn't go quite as expected.  The "all day" music festival was in fact not all day.  Although advertisement said it started at 10, music did not start until 5.  We made the mistake of getting there at 1pm, so we had a lot of time to kill.  Luckily for us, a few nice hammocks made this a little easier.  We listened to music from 5 to 7 but by 7 we were ready to head back.  I know that we missed the best part of the music since music went on late into the night but oh well.  You win some and you loose some.  The most amusing part of the whole day was our bus ride home from the festival.  The bus driver put in a Celine Dion dvd.  We watched her music videos and cracked up.  I wasn't aware she was such a star but then again we all knew most of her songs.   " I'm everything I am becauseeeee you loved me"  oh come on, I know you know the song! 

 Sunday, I was super productive!   Huge check.  I washed my socks and underwear, scrubbed down my desk and swept the floor.  I've also did things for my future.  I'm looked into applying for graduation, worked on stuff for vet school, and looked up things to do next semester. I then read this pre-veterinary school forum where people who are applying to vet school post all their concerns, rants, and questions.  After a run, a HOT shower, and a "mandatory emergency dorm meeting" where we discussed who would be on the debate team, we celebrated.  Paige, my roommate, has been out of the US for 100 days because she studied abroad in Costa Rica before she came here.  Along with the girls across the hall, we had cake and ice cream.  Delicious!  

 Paige celebrating 100 days out of the US!

 

 Here are some more random facts:

• The aluminum cans (soda cans) are heavier than in the US.  The bottom weights more.  So you'll be drinking something and think that it still has a lot in it because the can is heavier.   
• One door is left propped open in buildings.  Everyone proceeds to enter and exit through that one door.  Usually the other door is unlocked but no one uses it.  Coming out of big lecture halls is the worst because everyone is trying to get out and the next class wants to enter so they are crowded around the outside of the door.  The lecture halls' other door is always locked.   It takes patience as you wind out the door and through a crowd of people in a single file line.
• If you are getting on a combi (the small buses that take you around the city)  in a busy area or at a busy time you just have to crowd on.  People will cut you off, step in front of you, and do whatever is necessary to get on that combi.  I've learned that if you just get behind someone and follow really close you can usually make it on the combi.  It's even better if you can get a leg up into it and stop other people from getting on before you can.  I know it sounds funny and maybe a bit rude.  But I've had too many combi's fill up on me before I got on because I would just stand there.
• Combi's use honking as a form of communication.  Mostly, it's to ask,  "Hey you!  Do you want to get on?"  Or it could be "get out of my way" or  "hey other combi, how's it going?"  At first I was confused by all the honking but now I challenge myself to figure out what the honk means.  When walking down the road, I'm in the habit of shaking my head no when a combi passes by and honks, asking me if I need a ride. 
• We have wonderful cleaning ladies that clean the bathrooms and common areas in our dorm everyday.  The lady that cleans our is super nice.  Around one or two, when things are cleaned, they lay in the shade outside of the dorms.  You'll walk out of your dorm and there will be a line of people snoozing against the side of the building.  At first, it would throw me off but now I hardly notice it. 
• Grocery stores charge you 35 thebe for each plastic bag.  (100 thebe = 1 pula) Even though that is only pocket change in comparison ot dollars I bring bags with me to save money.  I feel that if places in the us charged for bags we would become more environmentally friendly.
•  For fruits and veggies at the grocery store that are priced by pound (oops not pound, that's a US thing.  They are priced by kg), you must bag them and then find someone to weigh them.  The bag must have a sticker on it before you go to the cash register.  Not a big deal, but it took me several awkward moments at the register before I remembered to get them weighed before hand!
• There are quite a few albino people here.  I've had to have seen at least four different people since I've been here.  Maybe that isn't a lot, but it has surprised me. 

Alrighty
Time for dinner.  I think I'm having an avocado and some soup which I'm definitely following up with some of my new chai tea!  Yum.

Until next time!