First day at Mokolodi

Hey yall  (I've got to be true to my southern roots sometimes!)

Today was my first day volunteering at Mokolodi and wow what a day!  My camera was dead so I couldn't get any pictures, but more opportunities will come! 

After french class, I met my cab at the north entrance of UB and headed to Mokolodi.  It cost me 70 pula. (About 10 dollars)  I arrived around 9:30 and read a bit while waiting for someone to come grab me from the office.  The other two exchange students who are volunteering there arrived at 8am because they do not have classes.  They were out tracking rhinos!  There are only 7 rhinos in the park and conservation of these animals are very important.  Poaching is a problem.  At one point almost all of the rhinos in Botswana had been killed.  Rhinos had to be brought in from other countries in order to rebuild the population.

Anywho,  since they were already out in the Bush, I headed down to the kitchen and helped to prepare monkey diets.   These consisted of fruits, veggies, bread with peanut butter, and some sort of pellet which I assume has some nutritional importance.  The women working in the kitchen/sanctuary area were super nice.  Yet, as usual the Batswana speak Setswana 99.9% of the time so you never know what they are talking about.  Only if they address me (or another English speaking person) do they speak in English.  I just wish I knew how to speak Setwana because I could better interact.  They told me I should learn Setswana and I promised I was working on it!

 As I was walking with staff to the upper sanctuary, I was grabbed by the intern on his way out into the bush.  The rhino trackers had found a dead zebra that had passed very recently.  We went out with the truck so that the zebra could be brought back to the sanctuary.  They use the meat to feed their two hyenas who are in a caged area on site. The two hyenas had once been pets before someone decided that wasn't a good idea and wanted to get rid of them. Now the hyenas serve mostly a tourism purpose so that safari goers can get a glimpse of these amazing creatures if they are lucky. Going into the bush gave me another mini safari.  Throughout the day I saw impala, kudu, warthogs, zebras, giraffes, and all types of birds. 

We arrived at the Zebra and loaded it into the back of the truck.  Now when I say load it, I don't simply mean causally tossed it in.  It took a group of men plus the three of us to lift it into the truck.  What an experience!  Not only was I seeing a zebra for the first time, I was touching it, studying it, and investigating it.  We could not find a definite reason for death.  Some guesses included disease, snake bite, or some internal injury.  After riding back through the bush, the zebra was deposited at the work station where it was supposed to be skinned and cut up for meat.  The three of us (all international exchange students) sat around waiting for the skinning to start.  Thirty minutes later there was no progress and we headed for lunch.  "African time" is a real thing here.  People travel at their own pace and things just happen when they happen.  After an hour break we headed back the the zebra and we watched them start skinning it.  I was able to watch with interest at the technique and did not have any qualms about it.  Let me tell you,  I have come  LONGGGGGGGG way.  There was a time when I would have been so disgusted I couldn't have been anywhere near there.   I hate that this zebra died, but she did so of natural causes and her meat was able to help the reserve, which in turn helps with conservation. 

Next we loaded into the back of a pickup truck with workers and headed  out into the bush.  We dropped them at the fence line where they were left to walk the fence, checking it for damage and cutting brush and such.  I learned that they worked for minimum wage which was 3.75 pula.  One dollar = 7 pula so they did even make a dollar an hour.  Wow!  That puts things into perspective.  Our next stop was picking up a porcupine from the clinic.  It had been captured in the city and brought out to Mokolodi.  We took it into the bush and released it.  Now, when I was told porcupine I pictured this cute little thing, but this guy was large!  I encourage you to google a picture of one.  It was so cool looking.  We took him out into the bush and let him go.  Awesome!  On the way back to the sanctuary, we stopped at the hyena cage and tossed in two chickens.  I've seen pictures of hyena's but it was still quite a site to take in.  They are a lot larger then I thought they would be, much larger that dogs.  Let's just say, I would hate to meet one in the wild.

After adventuring through the bush, we were dropped back at the sanctuary clinic.  The three of us walked with a staff member up to the main sanctuary and helped feed the animals.  Here I must insert how grateful I am to have worked at CROW (The Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife) in Florida.  Crow taught me the basics of rehabilitation and prepared me for the diets.  As I tossed dead chicks into cages with monitor lizards, owls, and heroins I was not phased.  Even as I picked up massive chucks of meat and threw them in with vultures I didn't flinch.   If you don't already know,  I have this weird aversion to raw meat.  I do not cook it and I hate to touch it.  But today I was such a champ.  "You want me to reach my hand in that bucket and pull out that huge chuck of meat dripping with yummyness?  Well sure why not! Here you go cute little vulture!"   Oh what I will do for the things I love. 

On a side note here, I would like to mention how epically awesome CROW was.  My experience there, under two of my all time favorite vets and several amazing rehabilitators, gave me a top not education about rehabilitating wildlife.  After Crow, I am comfortable enough to say I have a strong foundation in wildlife medicine.   I hope that with some of my knowledge gained at CROW, I can bring a new prospective to Mokolodi and maybe even help enhance a few things! I sometimes find myself saying, well at Crow we did this or we thought this way, etc etc etc.  I try to avoid these snobby thoughts.  I understand that each experience will be a bit different and if I am not open minded I will be unable to learn anything.  I only spent 4 months at Crow, and there is still a lifetime of learning to be accomplished.   At the end of my time here, I feel I will have gained a lot more from Mokolodi than I can give to them.    The older I get the more I realize how important educating yourself is!

After we got done spreading around dinner, we were finished for the day.  Bryanna has a neighbor who works at Mokolodi and that is how she is getting to the reserve and back.  This wonderful little woman agreed to drop me at Game city on her way home each week for free!  From game city, I catch two combi's back to UB.  This cost my only 6.60 pula, a little less than a dollar. WOO HOO! 

I arrived back at the dorm tired, dehydrated, and a bit smelly!  I ate a bowl of porridge with banana, granola, and peanut butter.  I took a very fast, cold shower and then curled up in bed with a cup of hot tea and my laptop.  It's been a great day and now a very relaxing night.  I think I will end this blog and start reading my book.  I'm so close to the end!  I read for a total of four hours yesterday and still managed to go to class, study french, get groceries, and go for a run!  I'm getting spoiled here in Africa! 

I hope you all have a great day! 
Maybe you should curl up with a good book and a warm cup of tea! 
It's the simply things in life! :)

First Excursion

Okay!  More about the adventures of Kaylee… I feel there is so much here to explain and comment on and I never feel as if I’m saying enough.  But I also want my blogs to be semi short (something I haven’t been achieving) so that it isn’t such a burden to read them.  I’m probably going to fail a bit on this one since I want to tell you all about my excursion. 

Saturday morning I rolled out of bed at 7am, grabbed what clothes were dry, my toothbrush and some deodorant and called myself packed.  Sixty(ish) students loaded onto a large charter bus and headed for the Bahurutshe Cultural Village.  It only took 30 or 40 minutes to get there.  We were greeted by bagolo (grandmothers) with the usual greeting call.  It is hard to describe but you wiggle your tongue back and forth in your mouth and let out a high pitched noise.  

  

We were served breakfast consisting of tea, juice, eggs, minced meat, fat cakes, and flat bread.  It was good and the first time I’ve had eggs in a while. Many people drink soured milk here.  I accidentally put soured milk instead of regular milk into my tea and it was quite an interesting taste.  And by interesting I mean rancid.  Ick.  (I’m not sure which was worse,  trying the milk or the bug!) I bet I'll be more careful next time!

 The day consisted of riding in the bus from one tourist destination to another. We could not have screamed tourist any louder if we tried.

We visited a large rock outcropping and saw several rock paintings. You can see giraffes in this picture.

Then we went to a very large fig tree named the David Livingston tree.  David Livingston was a missionary who first brought Christianity to Botswana.  Apparently he used to teach under the tree.  The tree itself was very peaceful and you could almost feel it had an old soul.  (yes, yes you may roll your eyes at this but I'm serious.  You could see and feel it's age.)

Next we went to the location of the first church and David Livingston's house (also the first hospital.)  The buildings themselves were torn down a long time ago so there wasn’t much to look at.  A guide took us to a field and told us some history.  The history was important and fun to learn but the lack of something to look at and the very thick accent of our guide made the experience seem long. 

After lunch at the cultural village we headed to a cave.  It is known locally as a cave that if entered you never return.  Needless to say, they would not let us go into it.  I guess that back in the day they had put David Livingston there and he had lived, thus helping prove Christianity was a legit thing.  The picture is the view from the top.  It was very pretty! Several of us were climbing well more like bouldering or scrambling or really just clinging to rock and talking about how much we want to climb it.  I really miss rock climbing.  I'm telling you the sport is addicting.

 I enjoyed learning about some of the history of Botswana and seeing sights outside of Gaborone (Haboron-A) but there was a lot of getting on the bus, getting off the bus, collecting people, waiting on people, etc.  Traveling with a large group has it's downfalls and benefits.   I did escape the bus a few times in order to ride in the back of the pickup truck that was leading the bus around.  It was exhilarating flying down African roads, with your hair beating around, and being able to see all kinds of things.   Donkeys, goats, and cows just roam around.  There are many just grazing by the side of the road.  Drivers have to be really careful not to him them.  It was odd to see because a lot of the land near the road was fenced in by the animals were not in the fence.  They stayed on the strip of grass between the fence and the road. 

The night at the cultural village was awesome!!  It was a small little touristy place.  The village the people actually belonged to was down the road.  The cultural village had a a place to eat, bathrooms, several huts, and then tents set up.  The elders (the small chief and  several older ladies) told us about their culture.  They split the boys and girls.  The girls learned about chores while the boys drank beer and played the drums. We learned how to mash mealie (corn), spread cow dung on the hut floors to clean them, and how sickness or child birth is usually dealt with.   Their culture was very much about taking care of the men, protecting the men, and respecting the men.  Men were to eat first.  Women were to stand at the back of the line (or really any line at that)  because  “if a lion came, it would get to the women first and the men would be safe."  Coming from a culture where men are to hold a door for ladies, my first instinct was "WHAT"?  He he interesting right.  But I really enjoyed learning about everything.  They ladies were so nice and irresistible.  Later that night a group of traditional dancers ranging from age 17 to 27 came and preformed for us.  It was so neat to watch as they danced around the fire.   What rhythm!  That night we slept in huts or tents and got up early the next day for breakfast. 

 

Sunday we headed for Mokolodi nature reserve.  (The place I will be volunteering at.)  When we arrived they served us mamosas.  We were all a bit shocked, but it was a fun addition!  The group loaded on three different vehicles and we had an hour game drive.  I was lucky enough to get on the smaller vehicle.  Our guide was able to get out and tell us fun facts about the animals.  I saw lots of impala, warthogs, a wildebeest, ostriches, kudu (the biggest antelope in Africa),  and a giraffe!  (WOO HOO  First game drive, but surely not the last!) We had a bush brai where we ate lunch at a small picnic table out in the reserve.  The food was delicious! There were many veggies, a wonderful piece of bread, and dessert!

 After lunch, we walked through the reptile park and a guy told us facts about the animals and passed around a snake to hold.  It was great to see all the animals I would be working with again.  I think this place is going to be a great eye opener for me.  It is definitely different than anything I've done. 

We got back to the dorms around 4 on Sunday. The Internet was not working so I just put away my laundry which was kind of hard. I'm not sure if I used too much soap or if that's just how they will usually come out......???   I organized my room and made space for our new refrigerator!  Yes that's right ladies and gentleman we now have a brand new, black, working refrigerator! It cost 150 pula a month to rent it but we are splitting it between four girls so it is pretty cheap!  I studied French, Setswana, read, and then went to bed. 

 This morning, after French class, I headed with Nora to the vets office  I will now be volunteering Monday mornings and Friday afternoons!  Woo Hoo!  We met one of the two vets at the practice and he was extremely nice.  He went to vet school in Australia!  I can't wait to get hands on experience.  The few dogs I ran into this weekend made me even more excited for the vets office. Here are a few pictures... aren't they cute!!!??

The vet's clinic is only a block from main mall, so we stocked up on groceries and I bought an adapter for the fridge.  I bought MILK AND YOGURT!  (I made sure to buy regular milk (only full cream offered) and not soured milk!!! Woo Hoo!  For lunch I had a bowl of cereal!  SO GOOD! After Setswana I had milk and cookies!Yum!

The most fun part of the day was checking the mail box at the international office!  I had two letters, one from my mom (mma) and one from my aunt (mmangwane)!  What a lucky girl I am to have such an amazing family!

On a side note,  Friday night someone broke into one of my friends rooms and stole their two laptops and cell phones.  They had a padlock on the door but someone cut it.  It has scared and infuriated all the international kids.  Theft here is a very big problem. (Which is why we must check our bags when we enter the library and grocery stores.)  We have been warned of it quite a lot.  Paige and I have a lock on our outer door but we also lock our stuff in our closet when we leave.  (Although realistically, if they can cut the outside lock then they can probably cut the closet lock….)   I believe someone specifically targeted the international kids because they knew they would have laptops.  Many people believe that being white means being wealthy.  I feel very sorry for these two girls and I’m fearful that it could easily happen again to any of us.  I will not live in paranoia but I will take extra precautions to be safe.  I was afraid to write this because I can see my mom having a small heart attack, but I think it’s important to understand the full experience.   There are up’s and down’s to each foreign place but you must roll with the punches or you won’t find happiness traveling!

Well folks, I'd say that's good for now.  

Onward and Upward!

Friday!

Hi guys.   The power went out in my dorm Wednesday night any so I’ve been without lights and internet.  Luckily it came back on this afternoon! Yay internet! 

Wednesday was pretty awesome.  After learning numbers in French class, and collecting some stuff in my dorm, I set out to find a way to Mokolodi Nature reserve.  I heard there was a bus that would take me there.  I went to rail park mall to try and find a bus but got all confused and had differing advice.  Someone then told me to go to game city where I was hoping to find a combi that passed by mokolodi.  Unfortunately that didn’t work either, so I finally said oh well and took a cab out there which cost 70 pula. (Ten dollars)  The place is about 10 km from game city and game city is a several kilometers from UB.  Since I had taken the cab I arrived about an hour early.  I sat outside on the picnic tables and read.  It was so relaxing.  There was a rustling sound that continued so I looked up from my book and three warthogs were walking by!  I just stared at them dumbfounded and tried to keep from bursting with excitement.  I think that was the moment I fell in love with the place.  The picnic tables sit in a shady area between the reception building and the restaurant which overlooks an area where wildlife often visit. Behind reception is a reptile and mammal park.  Both are very small. The reserve mostly does game drives to bring in money. One group came back from a drive and another group headed out as I was reading.  Mokolodi focus on the conservation of rhinos and cheetahs.  There is an education center and dorms that hosts school groups.  

I met with two staff directors and another exchange student, Bryanna, who is going to volunteer on Wednesdays.  They underlined the importance of showing up when you say you will.  We signed our life away on a couple of papers and boom we were in!  We had a small tour and then Bryanna and I went to the restaurant.  She had a shake and I had a cappuccino.  Yum!  From the restaurant we saw monkeys and a few impala. It sounds like we will mostly be helping with animal husbandry but they are going to try and rotate us around to different areas and allow us to see a variety of things.  They are short staffed right now and I think they could really use the help.   

The main issue is transportation there and back.   There is a bus that runs on the main road past Mokolodi.  You can jump off the bus and walk the 1.5km to the main gate and it’s only 3 pula!  Unfortunately, the walk to the main gate is dangerous and several people have been mugged recently… soooo that doesn’t look like it’s going to work.  Bryanna and I talked to a cab driver who said he would take us there and back for 110 every Wednesday.  I think this is a bit high.  It comes out to $14 each week.  Currently, we are looking into buying a used moped or motorcycle or something in order to get out there.    Another option would be to bike out there, although I’m not sure how long it would take.  

Wednesday night I went to a meet a group of exchange students who wanted to practice Spanish.  Several people are very good.  I was just stumbling along.  It was great to be able to practice it again.  That indeed makes three languages I’m now practicing.  It would be amazing to know all the languages but for now I’m just having fun and enjoying learning different things. 

Oh and another great thing from Wednesday!  I bought a hot water kettle.  I can now make soup, ramen noodles, oatmeal, and tea.  It has been great and added variety to my dorm room selection!  I just can’t explain how great it is to eat delicious hot porridge before heading out into the morning cold.  My roommate and the girls across the hall split the price with me so it was dirt cheap.   (Since the power has been out on my side of the dorm, I’ve been running around the dorm complex trying to find outlets that work in order to plug in my kettle.  I may have been a slight creeper but it was so worth it!)

On Thursday, between two classes, I went to the library for the first time. They make you check your bag before you go into the library to prevent theft.  It’s kind of annoying though because you have to carry anything you want to take with you.    I meandered through the textbooks for an hour and came upon a tourism section.  I found some great books on Botswana with pictures of wildlife.  The library is very nice and I really enjoyed just walking around it.  (he he I’m a nerd I know…)   After my third class, I returned to the library to figure out how to connect to wi-fi.  I touched based with the world, came back to my dorm, and then my computer died.  Boo!    

Thursday night, I hung out in the dining hall and socialized. I also attended the Wildlife Conservation Society’s club meeting.  It was an interesting experience.  They tried to hold most of the meeting in English for the few exchange students there but there was also a lot of Setswana being spoken so I was in the loop only sometimes.  I’m still not sure what the club actually does but they take a few trips somewhere.  I think the club will be a good way to interact with Batswana students since I seem to be segregated to other exchange students.  I just want to make sure the club does stuff I want to participate in before paying the dues. 

Today I had French and lab for Dynamics of Savannah Ecosystems.  Our lab took a bus out to Kgale hill and observed the different plants.  We took samples of shrubs and trees and looked for adaptive changes to the climate.  It was a fun hands on activity.  This afternoon I walked with another girl to the local vet clinic.  It is right by main ball and not a bad walk at all!  The vet wasn’t in but I think we will be able to volunteer.  I am super excited about this.  Fingers crossed.  We have plans to go back Monday.  When I got back I started laundry.  What a process!!!  I washed socks and underwear in the common sink and hung them in my room.   There are sinks and clotheslines outside my dorm so I took a bag of clothes there.  I filled a couple of sinks with soap and water and started switching the stuff around.  I added too much soap and rinsing the clothes out was a pain!  It took an hour for me to wash and rinse everything.  I hung them up and sat with them for hour so nobody would steal them.  I took them back inside and hung them around an empty room in my common area.  They still aren’t dry.  I’m hoping at least some things are dry before morning!   There are laundry machines available but they are super busy and they close at four. I think next time I will try getting a machine!!

Tonight, I ate at the dining hall and then headed to riverwalk with some girls to get some ice cream.  It was delicious.  Now we are sitting in my room drinking hot tea and relaxing.  The bus for the excursion this weekend leaves at 8am.  Oh boy!  

I will update you more when I get back from the excursion!  

Leina lame ke Nlulamisi.

This morning was bitterly cold. (Actually, the whole day has been unusually cold!)  I met up with a few girls and walked to first class at 8am, Dynamics of the Savannah Ecosystem.  It seemed pretty straight forward.  He lectured about the basics like the definition of a savanna. After class, I met up with another girl and we ventured to find our next class, Intro to Mammalian physiology. .  It had switched to a bigger room.  We found the classroom and went to the cafeteria to kill time.  I had a warm tea (5 pula). Yum!  I love that tea is a big thing here!  At ten, we went back to our classroom and realized it had been double booked.  Our professor told our class to go back to the old room.  Everyone jumped up and started rush to across campus in order to get a seat in the old classroom which only had seats for about half of the class. The rest of the class had to stand against the back walls, in the aisle, and near the front.  Even though people were stuffed in the room, the professor still proceeded to lecture. She has a very strong Indian accent and talks quietly so she was difficult to hear.  The professor told us that last year 46% of the class failed and she also told us we were not allowed to laugh in her class because it was disruptive.  I'm a little leery of this woman now but hopefully all will go well.   After class, I had to sign up for a lab time.  Lines here aren't really lines.  People just jumble around and push each other.  You have to be determined. 

I ate a peanut butter and apple sandwich (not bad) and went to my next class, Introduction to Setswana.  There are about 20 international students in it.  We went over basics like my name is, I am from, I am staying at, and I am a student.  It was fun but I can see it will be very challenging!  Leina lame ke Kaylee literally translates to "name mine is Kaylee."  I would really like to be able to understand some Setswana.  Although everyone here speaks English, they speak in Setswana constantly.  Only if someone is talking to me do they switch to English.  It creates a slight language barrier, but it also acts as motivation to learn another language.  Any language, for that matter.

After class I headed to the international office and after a little over an hour I finally had my class schedule finalized! CHECK!!  I came back to the dorm and got to skype my mom for the first time.  The connection was horrible but it's pretty awesome that you can talk to someone so far away. (Why back in the old days... I had to walk a mile to school uphill both ways....)

I was starving so I went with my roommate and neighbor to dinner at the dinging hall.  It was actually the best meal I've had there.  They had regular pap made from maize but they also had pap made from sorghum.  The sorghum pap was pretty good.  It had more of a consistency of beans while the regular pap doesn't have much flavor.  Both have a very thick consistency.  Along with the pap, I had a regular salad and potatoes.  I'm not sure if the meal was really that good or if I was really hungry or maybe I'm adjusting but I'm quite satisfied.   Below is a picture of my meal.

 I stayed in the dining hall for three hours and just socialized with the international people as they came to eat.  It was fun. As four of us were leaving the dining hall we met two guys who are leaving Friday to study abroad in Missouri.  We ended up talking to their group for a good thirty minutes.  They were very nice and we covered topics from music, to Obama, to hair, to American cities, to the Botswana president and so on. It amazes me how the students here know so much about politics, especially American politics.  They were also very interested in Paige's (my roommate) hair which is straight and very blond.  The girls I was with each got a setswana name but I didn't ask for one.  I figured they didn't know me well enough to grant me a name. But then the guy said no, your name is Nlulamisi.  It is Kalanga (another bantu language) meaning one who brings positive change to an area or makes something better.  He may use this name on all international girls, and maybe this isn't even the right definition for Nlulamisis but I'm going to choose to ignore these things and say that name is something special to me and I want to keep it!  As a good friend of mine would say "HAVE FAITH!" Each Batswana person's name means something.  People are not just named "Tom" here, they are named after something that usually relates to their birth or parents at the time.  For example people may have names that mean rain, sunshine, chief,  etc.  My roommate got a Kalanga name meaning a cool, calm, humble person who is easy to be around. The other two girls got Setswana names meaning diamond and my lady.

Back to the food.....
With the exception of the sorghum pap tonight, they serve the same meal every day for lunch and dinner everyday.  The meal is 15 pula and fills up the whole plate.   It is either pap, rice, or noodles plus a the same sauce to put over it.  The sauce is pretty good.  No complaints. They have two meat options consisting of chicken, beef, meatballs, liver, some kind of intentions, and other things I'm not aware of.   I don't eat the meat. I barely eat meat at home, so I've been trying to keep my distance here. ( I did have some kind of chicken thing while at a mall and it was pretty good).  They offer two veggies. You can only pick one unless you say vegetarian option and don't get meat. The veggies are usually some kind of radish salad, pumpkin, potatoes or squash.  If you don't want the whole meal, or maybe want something in addition, you can buy a "salad" for 5.50.  The salad can be one of several things.  They usually offer beans, a potato salad, a green regular salad, or a radish type salad.  You can also purchase french fries (called chips here), fat cakes ( a sweet bread), and papata (spelling?) at the dining hall.   The vegetarian options here are very limited.  Actually, veggies in general seem limited here.  I've been eating in my room mostly and try to visit the dining hall once every other day.  In my room I have peanut butter,bananas, apples, oranges, a few avocados, cereal, granola, and granola bars I brought from home. 

While we are on the subject of food... I tried a traditional worm last night. I heard about it before I came plus people have been talking about them.  I was hanging in a dorm room when someone produced a package and before I could really think about it I tried one.  It had a horrible, unusual taste.  I can now say I've eaten a worm.  When if Botswana, do as the Batswana do. 

Oh and for exciting news.... I have a meeting tomorrow at the Mokolodi Nature Reserve in order to talk about volunteering!  Woo Hoo! Fingers crossed. 

I'm still really liking it here.  It's amazing how much of an eye opener this experience is.  I hope that I am able to travel to many more places in my lifetime!   I'm now cuddled up in bed and about to start reading a new book someone lent me.  I finished Life of Pi last night.  I could get use to this "free time" thing!

Hope all is well!
Peace and love

Je m'appelle Kaylee

Hi Cool Peeps,

Happy Monday!  I actually had class today.  It looks like my semester is starting.

I had basic french at 8am this morning.  I decided last night that I needed the delicious eggs and oatmeal I had once before so I got up early and went to eat breakfast at the dining hall with another girl in my class.  Unfortunately, they did not have the breakfast out by 7:45 so I had to abandon hope and head for class.  Breakfast supposedly ends at 8:15 so you think that it would be available sooner, but "African time" says otherwise. Oh well,  I had a juice instead and listened to the super upbeat music blasting in the dining hall. People love juice here.  You can find it everywhere.  Most of it is super sweet and close to syrup but I have tasted a few delicious flavors!

My french class was a lot of fun.  It lasted almost the whole hour.  The professor was very outgoing and had a good sense of humor.  He spoke french most of the time and I used context clue to figure out what he meant.  (Also I kept asking the guy next to me, who was nice enough to keep explaining things.)  We went over basic stuff like how are you, what's your name, and what do you do.  French words are pretty darn unfamiliar to me, so reading them and saying them is a bit of a struggle currently.  But just wait, by the end of this I'm going to be a beast at Je m'appelle Kaylee.  (Arjamand, be prepared.  I plan on practicing my french with you!) One interesting thing is the class the started right on time and the professor was not very happy with the students coming in late (some even 30 minutes late).  I've heard that classes often start late and people arrive late.  I wonder if this is the exception or the rule. 

After getting my french professor to sign my add/drop sheet, I took the slip to the international office.  Hopefully, now they will add the classes I want and drop the others.  I will probably check tomorrow just to make sure... I went back to the dorm and realized that I had the whole day to myself since my 2nd class was canceled.  I went for a run and then walked to main mall with my neighbor.  I bought a yogurt and ate a granolla bar for lunch.  Delicious.  Main mall is great because there are all kinds of venders set up selling crafts, clothes, candy, and food.  On almost every corner someone is selling candy or hotdogs.  It is so popular here. My neighbor had a plate of food from one of the vendors and said it was yummy and better than dining hall food.  I  bought a plate, bowl, and a chain for my closet door.   I have a lock on the door to our room but we are also advised to lock valuable stuff in our closets since security, ra's, and cleaning women have keys to our room.  Theft is apparently a pretty big problem here.   It is not advised to walk to many places off campus by yourself.  Safety in numbers.  Yet, I really do feel safe here.  As long as you use common sense I think the odds are in your favor. 

After the mall, I went to the cashiers office to pay for the international students excursion next weekend.  I have been very torn one whether or not I want to go.  The trip includes a trip to a local village where they perform some kind of show for us, feed us, and then we sleep there in tents.  Then next day we visit the local game reserve right outside of Gabs and go on a safari.   It cost 1000 pula which I think is A LOT of money.  I'm not sure that the trip is actually worth that.  Yet, I could just hear my mothers voice saying "Kaylee!  Stop worrying about it!  Did you really go all the way to Africa to be a cheap ass?"  So in the end I spilled out the money and I'm glad I won't miss out on anything!  

I also signed up for the badminton team today.  I'm not sure if they will let me on or what the hours are but I figured I have so much free time I should do something.  Yesterday, I emailed a veterinary clinic and the game reserve near Gabs  to inquire about volunteering opportunities.  I hope to get involved with the "animal" community somehow while here.  Yesterday, was a super relaxing day for me.  I laid in bed until 1:30 and read my book. I then organized my room and walked to the mall for groceries.  

Oh and I almost forgot to share one of the coolest things that has happened to me while here. Saturday night,  Paige (my roommate) and I set off to find out where the load music drifting across campus was coming from. (Apparently from a club down the road..?)  We passed the dining hall and saw there was a loud crowd so we went in to check it out.  It turns out the Olympics were on and just as we entered a woman from Botswana was about to race.  The place was packed!  We watched the race and she actually won!  The excitement in the air was touchable. Everybody was cheering, and yelling, and jumping around.   We went back the next night (last night) to see her race again.   It was even more crowded with people.  They introduced the runners and people went crazy for her.  When the girl from the US popped up she was booed.  Several people around turned to us to see our reaction to the booing.  Paige and I were both pretty neutral.  Out of a place full of people there were only a handful of international students.  The race started and we were all cheering and yelling and then at the last moment USA pulled ahead and won.    Paige and I just looked at each other, decided it was awkward and started heading for the door.  No one really gave us a hard time for it.  One person said "ah man you beat us".  The moment was bitter sweet.  Of course I'm always proud to have America win,  but being here immersed in the culture with a crowd full of excited people you can't help but pull for the underdog.   Both experiences were great!  It gave a whole new feel to the Olympics!  

Here is a picture of the crowd watching the olympics!

Here is a picture of main mall.  You can see that it is pretty much an alley way with stores on each side and vendors set up in the middle. 

 

Have an awesome day! :)

Dancing, Hiking, and Fireworks

It's Saturday night, 6:30pm and I'm exhausted!  I'm laying in bed playing on my computer and I don't have plans to move. 

Last night I went out with a group of people to The Boulevard.  It is a sports bar by day and at night becomes a small upscale club.  It was very westernized.  They had a dj, lights, and smog.  There were a lot of white people there and only a few Batswana.  People were from South Africa, Botswana, Korea, the states, etc.  It was fun and I danced all night, but I probably won't rush back.  I can go dance in a place like that at home.  What I'm really looking forward to here is the traveling and naturey type stuff.  Anyway, after dancing we stopped at Bimbos and I had a toasted cheese and tomato sandwich.  It was a delicious!  We came back to the dorm and got in with no problems. 

I then woke up around 9:30 this morning and prepared to hike Kgale hill.  Yes, this would be the third time I've hiked the hill in a weeks time.  Another group of people wanted to go so I went to show them the way.  Plus, I didn't want to just sit around the dorms all day!  It was a great trip as usual with an excellent view!  After hiking we walked to Game City (a very large mall).  I got some granola and laundry detergent.  I then had pizza for only 20 pula (3 dollars).   It was really good!  Two combi rides later we arrived back at the dorm.  I ran into a group who was headed to a rhino reserve in eastern Botswana.  They were going to catch a bus and arrive in town late at night.  I was very tempted to go but I was so tired and unprepared that I decided not to.  I know the clock is ticking and soon I'll be leaving here so I want to do and see as much as possible, but I want to be rested enough to enjoy a trip since I'm paying for it!

I'm not sure what the game plan is for tomorrow.  I think I will try and conquer laundry and look up places to volunteer at.  I heard Gaborone has an SPCA, so maybe I could volunteer there or with some vet.  I would like to do something with the community and preferably with animals! 

There are currently fireworks going off and music blasting from somewhere that we can see from our dorms.  The football (soccer) stadium is right off campus so I'm wondering if something is going on there.  Whatever it is, there is a party going on and I'm missing it!  (Mom, fireworks are just as "exciting" here as they are at home, he he!)
 

More random facts:

• Driving here is a bit wild.  It's not as structured and people are more aggressive.  Pedestrians do not have the right away for anything.  You need to be very aware when you are walking along a road and especially crossing it.  Cars do not slow down or move over for people.  I don't think people see it as rude, it's just the way it is.  People are just expected to get out of the way of cars.  It does make crossing the roads quite an experience.  It usually goes something like, "It looks clear, RUN!"
• Gaborone is pretty darn "westernized."  With all the malls, you can pretty much find anything here.  It's interesting to see how the traditional ways are merging with the western culture.  I'm sure I'm pretty ignorant to most of it but I'm trying to keep my eyes open!
• I haven't seen a ton of homeless people or people begging for money.  Maybe I just haven't been around the city enough but it seems odd to me.  I've seen so many people begging for money in cities in the states and a few places in Costa Rica I visited. 
• I think I stay slightly dehydrated here.  I try to drink a lot of water but I always seem to be behind.  I carry a water bottle with me everywhere!
• The full moon here is beautiful!  It's a wonderful thought to think  "wow I'm staring at the moon from Africa!"

Wait... I came here to take classes?

Hey everyone!   Update time! 

I've been jumping back and forth with classes.  I have been torn between taking classes with good time slots, taking classes that are unique to Africa, and taking biology classes that are beneficial to my major/career.  So far I have considered/added/dropped all of these classes...

• Hist 343- Trade and politics in central Africa
• Epi 442- Conservation Strategies
• Thm 101-Principles of Tourism
• Env 404- Rural development
• Bio 315- Invertebrate zoology
• Env 407- Ecotourism 
• Bns 209- Aids/hiv prevention and control

The classes I'm actually taking... (Hopefully, I guess it isn't confirmed yet)

• All132- Language instruction (Setswana)
• Bio 214- Intro to Mammalian physiology
• Bio 313- Dynamics of Savannah Ecosystems
• Fre 114- Beginners french

Backing up to Wednesday...
I went to three classes Wed. (I'm not taking any of them now).  My professor didn't show up for the 1st class, in my 2nd class the professor came in and said meet Wed and left, and the 3rd class we were given a syllabus.  I guess I should explain that even though classes start Wed, nobody goes to class until the next Monday.  I'm not sure why...  Some say professors don't come because students don't and others say that students don't come because professors don't show up.  Anywho.  I went mainly so that I could find my classes.  It was quite a process.  All the buildings are numbered.  For example, bio is building 235.  I never got a campus map so I would just ask people and follow in the direction they pointed.  I would then ask someone else and continue on my journey.  It wasn't too bad but by the time my third class got out I was ready to go back to my dorm and collect myself.  It's funny being the "freshman" again and having no idea where anything is or what's going on.   On Wed, I tried to go add bns 209 but the professor I needed wasn't there.

Wed afternoon I walked to riverwalk mall with a group of peeps and bought bananas, apples and this cereal called "Veet-Bix Bites Forest Berry."  It is sooo good.  That night a group of us were hanging out in the dorms and the power went out.  We then headed to Kevin's friends house again.  (The super nice house I talked about earlier.) It was fun, but getting a cab back was difficult.  The first three cab loads of people left and I was hoping one would come back.  It didn't.  I was trying to call one.  Finally one came and I loaded up with other peeps and headed back to UB.  When we got to our dorm the gates were locked and we couldn't find a security guard.  It was freezing and super late so I decided I would just slide under the gate.  As a couple of us were doing this the security guards finally came out and saw us.  They were not happy at all.  They said that gates locked at 12 and we should be fined for sliding under the gate.  They went on and on and on.  We all played the "we are exchange students and don't know anything" (which isn't that far off from the truth.)  Finally, they let us go and I crashed in bed.

Thursday,  I didn't go to any of my classes.  I figured after Wed classes there was no point.  I took a group of eight people back to Kgale hill to hike.  It was just as fun as the first time and I saw baboons again!  Plus, this time I actually knew where I was going!  I'm getting this combi thing down! When we got back from Kgale hill I was soo exhausted.  I grabbed a side of beans from the dining hall (so tired of the regular meal that they repeat everyday), ate a banana and crashed.  I slept for a good 12 hours. It was beautiful.

This morning I decided I wanted to switch my whole schedule. My goal was to add two bio classes and a french class and then drop four classes I am currently enrolled in.  I ran by the international office and picked up an add/drop form.  I then headed for the bio building and stood in line to talk to the head director.  He said I was allowed to take bio 214 but not bio 331 because I didn't have the prereq. I begged so he called the professor of the class who said NO.  I then went to talk to the professor to beg some more.  I argued that even though I had not taken ecology I had taken two other wildlife classes.  I ran back to the international office, got my transcript, and then went back to the professor.  He finally allowed me to take the class!  Yay determination.  I had to wait in line again for the head director so that he could sign my form.  After 30 minutes of waiting I was finally done.  Now I need to get my french class signed off on but since I have no idea where to go, I figure I'll go to class Monday and have that professor tell me what to do at that point.

So now, I'm sitting in my room typing this and wondering what to do with the afternoon. I figure I'll try and find a group of people walking to the mall.  I received my food stipend so I need to go by a bank and cash it.  It is 2,800 pula.  With that cash I'm going to pay for the excursion we are doing next weekend which cost 1,000 pula.  (around 135ish dollars.) 

Overall, things are still going well here! Trying to accept that I'm here for classes it a little difficult. :P  I think once I make up my mind on classes, get things signed off on, and actually start attending things will go a bit smoother.  I will never complain about registering for classes at home again!  The online registration system is beautiful! 

Here are a few more random facts.

1. The sand is swept here.  I need to get a picture of it because it is hard to explain.  The sandy places on campus, whether it be a walking path or place where trees are planted, are swept to elimnate the loose sand.  It makes the sand look neater and packs it down.  I'm not sure why it is done.  I'm guessing to keep the area cleaner...  I need to ask someone.
2. They have these things called Fat Cakes.  It is some type of sweet bread, similar to a donut but not as sugary and no topping.  People are in love with them and they can be found everywhere.
3. People are not afraid of touch.  In the US, people keep their personal bubble and you especially keep your distance if you don't know someone.  Here, people will stand super close to you in line so that they are touching you, you will pass by friends who are holding hands, and when people talk to you they often get pretty close.  It doesn't bother me, but it was something I noticed. 
4. My skin is so dry here.  I'm putting on lotion at least twice a day and my skin is still cracked and dry.  My heals are the worse.  They legit have bled.  I don't go anywhere without chapstick.  
5. Students dress so well here and have clothes that are very stylish.  I am very impressed at the effort they must put into their outfits.  I feel like a slacker most of the time because my basics are t-shirts and jeans.

Well that's all for now!

Catch ya later Alligator.