Can there really only be 35 days left?

Long time no post, guys!  Sorry, again, about that but things are starting to get hectic here.  I only have 5 weeks and yes I say ONLY because I’m on that roller coaster again and I am NOT ready to leave!  The past two weeks have been filled with some of the best times I think I have had here so far and the thought of all of this being so close to ending is starting to hit me.

The end of March was Kelly’s birthday so I think the start of this up-swing in feelings towards Gaborone began then.  We just went out to dinner and hung out at UB for her birthday but it was a lot of fun and some good memories came from those two nights.  For one, apparently we impress people from here by the amount of lyrics we know to songs as Ronnie’s host brother who was visiting watched in amazement as we sang a Taylor Swift song word for word.  The morning after had proved to be bit trying as I ended up in a disagreement with one of my flat mates about sanitation issues.  We currently have roach power sprinkled all over our counter tops which I find a bit more serious of an issue than me running water over my toothpaste in the kitchen sink before I brush my teeth.  Anyway, we are all better and things have moved on (with the powder still in place).  

 Just the girls!  Me, Ali, Kelly, Gerrica, and Anna are the 5 girls from CIEE this semester.

Last week was a bit boring as everyone is just bogged down with end of the semester work.  I went to my last field visit on Tuesday which was with a Health Inspector in charge of checking all the pre-schools and day-cares in Gaborone.  I thought she was on top of her game from the way she explained to me what she was looking for but turns out I was wrong.  She would enter the schools glance over everything without checking ANYTHING she had mentioned was required and just leave.  When I asked her if she would report the things we found, she said it’s not use because nothing will get done.  That typifies the attitude here of try once and give up.  It is one of the most frustrating things when I’m dealing with the people here because as soon as an idea is shot down or people don’t listen the first time something is said, that’s the end of the efforts.  Nothing in this world is as easy as saying something once but I guess that’s just how they are raised here.  The other problem I had with the health inspector was that she would find something wrong and make an excuse for why it was not correct.  If this woman is supposed to be looking out for the safety of the children and decides to ignore the fact that a fire extinguisher is locked with no way to get at it in the event of an emergency, who will be there to protect the health of these children.  At one point, she even said “I’m being lazy today.”  I just wanted to ask her, then why are you here?  You are going to check this school off as having been checked when in reality you LOOKED at it without much concern.  In one school, I tried to turn the bathroom water on and nothing came out, meaning kids can’t wash their hands after using the toilet and she looked surprised then just walked away.  It was a bit frightening and again, made me realize that even in this fairly developed country, there is still a LONG way to go.  

This is a bathroom in one of the day-care centers.  Notice there is no privacy or toilet paper to be found.

This is a sink found in the bathroom of the Health Inspectors Office.  Ironically, there isn't any hot water, soap, or paper towels here either.

Continuing on with schooling type issues, we had our one and only assignment which was a term paper in one of my classes due on Friday.  The professor decided not to come to class the week and a half proceeding that date so we ended up asking him yesterday, 3 days AFTER the paper was due, to explain how to write the paper in his style.  We are now required to revise a 10 page term paper worth 40% of our grade in 2 days despite the fact that the professor had been asked for weeks before the due date to go over an outline.  I am currently in the process of fighting to extend the deadline.  I do miss Nova academics.

The truly awesome stuff that is happening here is outside of school though.  I feel like now we are starting to figure out just what we want to do but now it’s almost time to go!  Last weekend in particular made me think I am not ready to get out of here.  I want school to end but as for living and traveling in Africa, I definitely have not had my fill yet.  Saturday we spent the day on Gerrica’s host parents’ farm which was an absolute blast.  We basically just hung out, wandered around in the bush, cooked some meat, the boys killed a chicken which was disturbing, and ended our day with popping a tire on the truck we used to go to the farm!  Yes, all 8 of us rode in one truck which meant I finally got to ride in the back of a pick-up truck!  It was very windy but a lot of fun.  As for the tire, we were half way between the farm and the main road when a rock put a hole in the tire wall big enough to stick a finger in there.  It turned out to be a lot of fun though as we got to chase some donkeys to try and ride them and spend some quality time bonding in the middle of the bush.  Gerrica’s host-brother came to our rescue 2 hours later and brought us a spare tire and we were on our way.  That’s not before myself, along with Kelly and Ali were in the back of the truck not realizing Gerrica’s brother didn’t put the e-brake on and started rolling backwards down the path.  Luckily there’s not much to run into other than bushes so it turned out to be a very funny experience rather than scary.  

 A traditional home and what a typical farm looks like.  Usually one or two guys stay there to tend to animals and  live with no electricity, no plumbing, and no running water.

My new friend Charlie

Our ride home from the farm was the time in the past few weeks that I don’t think I will ever forget, however.  The sky was a gorgeous shade of pink and orange while the hills and mountains were deep blue.  There is no way a picture can even begin to capture the beauty that even this city that offers so many frustrations can show.  I was thinking about what I have done here and the friendships I have made.  It almost made me nervous about going back home and I don’t want to ever forget any of these memories.  This experience has taught me more than I ever thought it could about myself, my strength, my desires, and my endurance.  I consider myself a fairly independent person but there is NO test like living in a completely different place alone for almost 5 months.  I have been contemplating joining the Peace Corps after graduate school and living here has made the decision even harder.  My family means the world to me and being away from them this long has been hard enough but on the other hand, these experiences are unbelievable.  I guess I will have a lot to think about in the next few years!  As for now, I’m going to try and live in the moment and enjoy these last few weeks here even though is it starting to get surprisingly chilly at night here!  

P.S. Some good news, Marc Ketcha (a friend from Villanova)and I will be partnering up next Fall to lead a Fall Break Service Trip!  I am really excited and hoping for some more opportunities to see other parts of the world!!