The first day we arrived we got used to our apartment which took more time than I anticipated because I couldn't decide between the room with ants or freezing temperatures. Since then we have killed over a couple dozen cockroaches. The girls below us have it worse killing over 30 cockroaches. Now that I have most of your attention I want to take a second to point out that the stereotypes you label Africans with are mostly untrue. They have better air than we do, they dress better than 75% of Americans, they are genuine people. In fact last night on the way to the mall 20 of us walked in a group and as we passed a group of African bartering on the side of the road they became screaming "WHITE PEOPLE" and began jumping up and down with joy shaking our hands and giving us hugs. They see it as a privledge to be in our present because we are a rare sight for them. I couldn't help but wonder why is this feeling completely backwards in our country. Can you imagine me walking down Parsons Avenue and screaming black people and then running up to them with open arms, I cannot. This is how people should live though, happy and with open minds and open hearts.
The hardest adjustment for me thus far is the 3 square meals a day. For everyone who knows me I am generally a health nut however I eat beyond discomfort now and I do it without trying. I usually eat six meals a day and space out my calories but the 3 square meal method often leaves me tired and out of breath. Breakfast is usually toast, porridge and some kind of hamburger helper and eggs. The only thing I don't like about all three meals is they do not serve water with any of them. They usually serve juice and its very tasteful but thick and I think that contributes to my stomach problems. Lunch is usually at 1pm and is chicken, beef, rice, bread, cabbage and carrots. Dinner usually consist of left overs of the meat, pawpaw which is white stuff that has no taste and resembles white rice.
My favorite part of their culture is "TEA TIME". I love this concept. Let's take 15 minutes out of our day to sit down, slow our minds and discuss the day that lyes ahead. Everyone in our program looks forward to Tea Time we only wish it was followed up with a nap time. Then we could successfully call it the American way.
The guest speakers we have had come in have been very informative and eye opening as they try to prepares us to the best of their ability for what we are about to encounter in the next few weeks. Dr. V Chipfakacha discussed the myths, facts and research involved in HIV/Aids data. I loved his approach to teaching he was very upfront, blunt and all around honest. He helped us to realize that some of the problems the Africans have are cultural and traditional. He made good points asking how do we stop something when theres no cure when we cannot stop malaria which is preventable and curable? If there is one thing his lesson taught me it is that Endemics come and go. Plagues have put a large dent in societies in the past yet our species is still here.
I will be honest I found it hard to concentrate after lunch to our speaker Dr. Maundeni. I know she did research on males with HIV/Aids but I found it hard to concentrate being so tired from lunch and in dier need of a nap that I never got. After she was done I caught my second wind when the organizations came in and gave us their ten minute speel about what they do and the kind of volunteer work we would be doing. It was amazing to see how many organizations they have dedicated to HIV/Aids awareness over the past two days. This is a country with a population of only 1.8 million and they have so many organizations dedicated to fixing a cause. I found it very eye opening.
I enjoy learning Setswana and the challenge of comprehending new words and putting sentences together. It gets frustrating sitting by Mandy because she loves to correct me so that I do not make mistakes the only problem is I get frustrated when she plays teacher to me. I learn by making mistakes and figuring stuff out on my own and she just wants to help regardless we bicker a little bit during Setswana lessons. I think its funny how our class spends two hours a day learning Setswana and we immediately practice during our lunch breaks with the kitchen staff and UB janitors.
While we were at Riverwalk mall I asked Karabo about his girlfriend and his life growing up on a farm. I had no idea he had goats, cows, horses and many other animals. I found it fascinating that when he was not at school he was at home working hard on the farm. He then explained how the government pays for about 90% of the University of Botswana students to go to school. However with recent economic struggle they are no longer covered to study during winter and summer breaks. A few questions that had come to mind during some conversations about African perceptions were what Africans thought about Americans. I asked Karabo what he thought about American relationships and he voiced that he is lead to believe that the average American gets married at 16 or 17 years old. We all had a good chuckle at that one and cleared that up for him after he said thats what media has lead him to believe. He told us that people in Botswana usually get married around 26 or 27 and I told him we were about the same.
After we returned from Riverwalk that night we took a cab ride back and I struck up a conversation with the cab driver about America. He told me that the only American he had ever met taught him English back in 1992, I found that very odd but encouraging knowing that our people helped him with his English. For all of you who do not know much about Botswana and for those of you who think you do Botswana native language is Setswana however majority of the people learn english at the age of six as their second language. Well I have blogged enough for one night I will continue tomorrow if I have any time. For now I am off to go watch some futbol Egypt vs. Italy is on television. God Bless
