Monday, August 8, 2011
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Let's go to the Delta...TOMORROW!
I guess I shouldn't be that surprised, considering the entire time in Botswana has been about spontaneous decisions involving travel, but I still am pretty amazed that we managed to organize three nights in the Okavango Delta just one day in advance! Rugby Sarah, Athena and I were the only members of the Gabbers Crew left but our ten hour bus ride through Botswana felt like we were coming full circle to our first trip to Kasane with the rest of the group. Driving northwest from Gabs, the landscape just feels dry - scraggly bush and hard, light brown ground with only occasional grass. The transition into the area around Maun is drastic, as all of a sudden it's as if you cross a line between desert and oasis to find yourself surrounded by the greenest trees and swamp water. We stayed at the highly-commended Bridge Backpackers in Maun, a hotspot with a great bar area by the beginnings of the delta's water and a choice of tiny dorm rooms or camping. We'd booked individual dorm rooms but were unpleasantly surprised to find we had mice for company. This turned out to be a good thing on our second night there when Athena assertively asked for alternative accommodation when it was obvious that mice had been actually climbing on my bed and Sarah's nightstand; as a result, Sarah and I got to sleep in one of their luxury tents! There was a very decently sized room in the tent, consisting of two real beds and no mousy guests! Way to go Athena!
In between our two nights at the backpackers', we did an overnight Mokoro (canoe) trip into the real delta itself. The Backpackers organized four mokoro guides for the three of us and one other American, Christian, so that two of them poled the mokoros we rode in and the other two poled the mokoros with all our camping equipment and food. The Backpackers also sent along our very own personal chef, which made us feel like we were camping in real luxury. He cooked three meals for us in total - beef stew for dinner, a full "English breakfast" brunch, and pasta for lunch - and also brought us sandwiches for the first lunch and cereal for FIRST breakfast. It felt almost ridiculous, but it was so so so so tasty! The mokoro rides themselves were actually not the most entertaining activity as we had to just sit in them for almost three hours on the ride out to the campsite, but at least initially the delta itself was quite a sight - I've definitely never been rowed through marshes before! Both from the mokoros and on walks on some of the delta's islands, we saw lots of elephants. They really are incredibly beautiful animals. It's both scary and thrilling when you watch an elephant shake a huge palm tree with its trunk until fruit and leaves fall down. Needless to say, our guide didn't let us get too close! We also found giraffe bones that someone had spread out under a tree in the rough formation of its skeleton. Thanks to this experience, I can now say "I found giraffe bones" in Setswana, perhaps one of the most useful phrases one could hope to learn. Ke bonye marapo a thutlwa!
As a thank you to our guides and cook, and also just to show off, we sang the Botswana national anthem for them before we left the campsite. When we returned to the Bridge Backpackers and told one of the people in charge, he asked us to sing it for him too; when we did, he immediately declared that we would all get free drinks at the bar! Note to self for all future travels - learn the relevant national anthem and perform it as often as possible!
Now that we're back in Gabs, and especially now that Athena and I have just said goodbye to Sarah, it's hitting home that I'm leaving tomorrow. I will really, really miss Maru-a-Pula and all the students - the number of fun times and hilarious jokes we've had here is far too high to even imagine. I definitely want to come back at some point in my life, although who knows what the circumstances of that occasion would be. At the same time, right now I'm getting increasingly excited to see everyone at home again - in that sense, it's been way too long. I have a weirdly good flight schedule - I leave Bots at 5pm tomorrow and arrive in New York by 7 in the morning , including a two-hour stop in Joburg's airport and an even shorter stop-over in Dakar just like last year.
Thanks to everyone for following the blog! Don't think that it means you're going to avoid hearing endless stories from me in person when I get home...
In between our two nights at the backpackers', we did an overnight Mokoro (canoe) trip into the real delta itself. The Backpackers organized four mokoro guides for the three of us and one other American, Christian, so that two of them poled the mokoros we rode in and the other two poled the mokoros with all our camping equipment and food. The Backpackers also sent along our very own personal chef, which made us feel like we were camping in real luxury. He cooked three meals for us in total - beef stew for dinner, a full "English breakfast" brunch, and pasta for lunch - and also brought us sandwiches for the first lunch and cereal for FIRST breakfast. It felt almost ridiculous, but it was so so so so tasty! The mokoro rides themselves were actually not the most entertaining activity as we had to just sit in them for almost three hours on the ride out to the campsite, but at least initially the delta itself was quite a sight - I've definitely never been rowed through marshes before! Both from the mokoros and on walks on some of the delta's islands, we saw lots of elephants. They really are incredibly beautiful animals. It's both scary and thrilling when you watch an elephant shake a huge palm tree with its trunk until fruit and leaves fall down. Needless to say, our guide didn't let us get too close! We also found giraffe bones that someone had spread out under a tree in the rough formation of its skeleton. Thanks to this experience, I can now say "I found giraffe bones" in Setswana, perhaps one of the most useful phrases one could hope to learn. Ke bonye marapo a thutlwa!
As a thank you to our guides and cook, and also just to show off, we sang the Botswana national anthem for them before we left the campsite. When we returned to the Bridge Backpackers and told one of the people in charge, he asked us to sing it for him too; when we did, he immediately declared that we would all get free drinks at the bar! Note to self for all future travels - learn the relevant national anthem and perform it as often as possible!
Now that we're back in Gabs, and especially now that Athena and I have just said goodbye to Sarah, it's hitting home that I'm leaving tomorrow. I will really, really miss Maru-a-Pula and all the students - the number of fun times and hilarious jokes we've had here is far too high to even imagine. I definitely want to come back at some point in my life, although who knows what the circumstances of that occasion would be. At the same time, right now I'm getting increasingly excited to see everyone at home again - in that sense, it's been way too long. I have a weirdly good flight schedule - I leave Bots at 5pm tomorrow and arrive in New York by 7 in the morning , including a two-hour stop in Joburg's airport and an even shorter stop-over in Dakar just like last year.
Thanks to everyone for following the blog! Don't think that it means you're going to avoid hearing endless stories from me in person when I get home...
Friday, July 29, 2011
Laura: I'm Coming Home, I'm Coming Home...
So I pretty much fail at this blog thing (blame the internet situation?) because a lot has happened since I last wrote: I entered a new decade in life, ended up reading 5 Kathy Reichs novels (in my defense, she ends every chapter with a cliffhanger like "But that wouldn't be the only surprise of my day" that leaves you wondering WHAT'S THE OTHER SURPRISE?! so you keep reading), and Bernard was shot on 7 de laan (don't worry, he lived). I'll try to do a quick recap on the past two weeks:
Two weekends ago (16th/17th): This weekend was very jam-packed since it was our last full weekend in Cape Town. Saturday morning we went to the Neighbourgoods Market, which is by far the best farmer's market I've every been to. All the food looked delicious and it was hard to choose, but my love for pancakes won out. After shopping in the afternoon, I finally saw Harry Potter (great birthday present btw Cerianne). As an added bonus, movie tickets in South Africa are a lot cheaper in the states, which was pretty exciting. Sunday morning, we went on a township tour, which I probably can't actually give justice to in a few sentences, so ask me about it in person if you want to hear about it. Sunday night I watched the Women's World Cup final, where my heart was broken as the USA lost in penalty kicks. I was so upset and filled with energy that I ran the two blocks back home (my host sister lives with her husband), which I realized was a mistake after dogs started chasing me. Nonetheless, I survived to see the rest of the week.
Last weekend (23rd/24th): For the first time, we stayed in Mamre for the weekend and didn't travel to Cape Town. Saturday, Sarah (the other volunteer) and I, went to a netball tournament with our host sister, Zaria, who coaches a team at the school she teaches at. It was nice to see a sport tournament again, even though I don't fully understand netball, and definitely made me miss the days of my own soccer tournaments. Sunday was my birthday (thanks for the shout out Cerianne) and actually was more eventful that I predicted. We went to church in the morning, although I didn't understand much because it was in Afrikaans. Then my host mother made a huge lunch and Zaria and her husband Orrin came over and we all ate together, which was fantastic. We then traveled to Canal Walk to see a movie with Zaria and Orrin and on the way home I saw the most awesome shooting star I've ever seen. It was the perfect ending to the day.
Today I said goodbye to my host mother and the pre-primary school kids. It was very sad to be leaving them all, but reassurances that we could keep in touch made me feel better. It feels weird to say goodbye to South Africa (at least for now), but I'm excited to be home in summer weather!
Two weekends ago (16th/17th): This weekend was very jam-packed since it was our last full weekend in Cape Town. Saturday morning we went to the Neighbourgoods Market, which is by far the best farmer's market I've every been to. All the food looked delicious and it was hard to choose, but my love for pancakes won out. After shopping in the afternoon, I finally saw Harry Potter (great birthday present btw Cerianne). As an added bonus, movie tickets in South Africa are a lot cheaper in the states, which was pretty exciting. Sunday morning, we went on a township tour, which I probably can't actually give justice to in a few sentences, so ask me about it in person if you want to hear about it. Sunday night I watched the Women's World Cup final, where my heart was broken as the USA lost in penalty kicks. I was so upset and filled with energy that I ran the two blocks back home (my host sister lives with her husband), which I realized was a mistake after dogs started chasing me. Nonetheless, I survived to see the rest of the week.
Last weekend (23rd/24th): For the first time, we stayed in Mamre for the weekend and didn't travel to Cape Town. Saturday, Sarah (the other volunteer) and I, went to a netball tournament with our host sister, Zaria, who coaches a team at the school she teaches at. It was nice to see a sport tournament again, even though I don't fully understand netball, and definitely made me miss the days of my own soccer tournaments. Sunday was my birthday (thanks for the shout out Cerianne) and actually was more eventful that I predicted. We went to church in the morning, although I didn't understand much because it was in Afrikaans. Then my host mother made a huge lunch and Zaria and her husband Orrin came over and we all ate together, which was fantastic. We then traveled to Canal Walk to see a movie with Zaria and Orrin and on the way home I saw the most awesome shooting star I've ever seen. It was the perfect ending to the day.
Today I said goodbye to my host mother and the pre-primary school kids. It was very sad to be leaving them all, but reassurances that we could keep in touch made me feel better. It feels weird to say goodbye to South Africa (at least for now), but I'm excited to be home in summer weather!
Monday, July 25, 2011
Cerianne: Swazambique!
It was within the twenty-four hours before departure time that we even began considering the idea of renting a car and driving our whole weekend trip rather than risking the inconsistency and uncertainty of public transportation. Somehow we were able to find a sketchy company with an unmarked car rental office that had a seven-seater, automatic Toyota Noah available for the very next day. Thanks to my British passport and thus my assumed "experience" driving on the left-hand side of the road, the car rental dealers designated me the official driver. Various potential problems included but were not limited to massive and unexpected potholes, animal (cows, goats, chickens, MONKEYS) crossings, the tinted windows that were impossible to see out of at night, the deadlines to cross borders before they closed in the evenings, the chaos and expense of crossing the borders themselves, the frequency of carjackings in South Africa, and the ridiculousness of the google map directions for our first destination, Swaziland ("Turn left onto unknown road...", "Turn right..."). Oh, and the suspiciously squeaky brakes.
Believe it or not, the eight or so hour drive across South Africa was almost completely uneventful. It was only just before the Swazi border, already at nighttime, when I pulled out of a petrol (gas) station without my headlights on for a few seconds before realizing and quickly switching them on. Not fast enough for the cop who must have been waiting to pounce. I can now say that my first time ever being pulled over by the police occured in South Africa. Typical. The policewoman was pretty nice though, and when I apologized for the mistake she let us go on. Once in Swazi's capital, Mbabane, we had to drive around all manners of hilly, bendy, badly marked, unpaved roads before a policeman was able to give us helpful directions to Julie's house. Julie went to Harvard's GSE and now works for the American embassy in Swaziland; she very kindly offered us her dining room floor to crash on for two nights, which just made for a hilariously fun slumber party situation for the six of us.
Our purpose for being in Mbabane was to give an American college information session at UWC Waterford, a top high school in southern Africa. The school was perched on a beautiful hill with awesome views, and it was cool to tour it to get a sense of how it was similar to and different from MaP. Unfortuantely, some of or time in Mbabane was spent getting a new tire after a flat and trying to figure out what was wrong with our brakes, as the car had begun shaking when we used the brakes on hills.
Crossing into Mozambique was immensely confusing. The second we parked at the border, a few English-speaking men rushed up to us with offers to help us cross. They seemed to have the full approval of the officials behind the counters and yet there was something just totally sketchy about them. One particularly pushy man said he wouldn't tell his "chief" that we had cameras and, before we knew what that even meant, he had run off to grab an official-looking guard to check the trunk of the car. Once the guard left, the man "helping" us began demanding money, saying that I had made a deal with him and that he had helped us to avoid custom fees on the cameras. There was no evidence that we would have had to pay fees anyway and I certainly hadn't made a deal, so we literally shut the car doors in his face to get away. Despite not really believing him, I think we all breathed a huge sigh of relief when we got out of the border crossing without encountering the so-called chief!
Maputo definitely has a vibrant life to it that both Mbabane and Gaborone lack, but it is unfortunately also the most trash-covered city I've ever seen. Sidewalks in the city, roadsides in the town, and even the water-edge - all infested with litter and didrt. The city is dirty in the sense of corruption too, as we discovered on our way out when another policewoman tried to get us to pay her 1,000 metacais in order to avoid a ticket. When we refused to pay the amount, she dropped her asking price all the way down to a drink! Then she said, "Anything! Just give me something!"
In sharp contrast, the island of Inhaca ("In-yaca") is stunningly beautiful. With a population of 6,000, a tiny main village, and practically deserted beaches, it exudes a feeling of tranquility. We spent just under four hours strolling around, playing in the Indian Ocean, admiring starfish and crabs on the beach, and eating tasty seafood in the village. Our travel there was not so tranquil, however. We took the local government boat rather than the more expensive tourist ferry for the three-hour journey from Maputo and got to clamber off onto a small motoroboat for the last stretch of shallow water before the beach. Even the motorboats didn't go right up to the shore, so we, along with a lot of locals, pulled off our shoes, hoisted up our pants, and hopped out itno knee-deep water to wade the remaining 30 or 40 meters to the shore. Unconventional, but great fun! Once on the island we unfortunately wasted quite a bit of time arguing with some officials who insisted we pay an island entry tax; it was a frustrating experience because none of the locals had to pay so we were unsure of how legitimate the officials were and, moreover, because it was an entirely unexpected cost.
I would say this trip was quite significantly more stressful than the last, particularly with regards to the car. For me, however, the car rides - with our hilarious games and interesting hypothetical discussions in addition to all the ridiculous road obstacles - were actually what made the journey so memorable. I know the six of us were all sad to end the trip knowing that it was our last time traveling all together.
Believe it or not, the eight or so hour drive across South Africa was almost completely uneventful. It was only just before the Swazi border, already at nighttime, when I pulled out of a petrol (gas) station without my headlights on for a few seconds before realizing and quickly switching them on. Not fast enough for the cop who must have been waiting to pounce. I can now say that my first time ever being pulled over by the police occured in South Africa. Typical. The policewoman was pretty nice though, and when I apologized for the mistake she let us go on. Once in Swazi's capital, Mbabane, we had to drive around all manners of hilly, bendy, badly marked, unpaved roads before a policeman was able to give us helpful directions to Julie's house. Julie went to Harvard's GSE and now works for the American embassy in Swaziland; she very kindly offered us her dining room floor to crash on for two nights, which just made for a hilariously fun slumber party situation for the six of us.
Our purpose for being in Mbabane was to give an American college information session at UWC Waterford, a top high school in southern Africa. The school was perched on a beautiful hill with awesome views, and it was cool to tour it to get a sense of how it was similar to and different from MaP. Unfortuantely, some of or time in Mbabane was spent getting a new tire after a flat and trying to figure out what was wrong with our brakes, as the car had begun shaking when we used the brakes on hills.
Crossing into Mozambique was immensely confusing. The second we parked at the border, a few English-speaking men rushed up to us with offers to help us cross. They seemed to have the full approval of the officials behind the counters and yet there was something just totally sketchy about them. One particularly pushy man said he wouldn't tell his "chief" that we had cameras and, before we knew what that even meant, he had run off to grab an official-looking guard to check the trunk of the car. Once the guard left, the man "helping" us began demanding money, saying that I had made a deal with him and that he had helped us to avoid custom fees on the cameras. There was no evidence that we would have had to pay fees anyway and I certainly hadn't made a deal, so we literally shut the car doors in his face to get away. Despite not really believing him, I think we all breathed a huge sigh of relief when we got out of the border crossing without encountering the so-called chief!
Maputo definitely has a vibrant life to it that both Mbabane and Gaborone lack, but it is unfortunately also the most trash-covered city I've ever seen. Sidewalks in the city, roadsides in the town, and even the water-edge - all infested with litter and didrt. The city is dirty in the sense of corruption too, as we discovered on our way out when another policewoman tried to get us to pay her 1,000 metacais in order to avoid a ticket. When we refused to pay the amount, she dropped her asking price all the way down to a drink! Then she said, "Anything! Just give me something!"
In sharp contrast, the island of Inhaca ("In-yaca") is stunningly beautiful. With a population of 6,000, a tiny main village, and practically deserted beaches, it exudes a feeling of tranquility. We spent just under four hours strolling around, playing in the Indian Ocean, admiring starfish and crabs on the beach, and eating tasty seafood in the village. Our travel there was not so tranquil, however. We took the local government boat rather than the more expensive tourist ferry for the three-hour journey from Maputo and got to clamber off onto a small motoroboat for the last stretch of shallow water before the beach. Even the motorboats didn't go right up to the shore, so we, along with a lot of locals, pulled off our shoes, hoisted up our pants, and hopped out itno knee-deep water to wade the remaining 30 or 40 meters to the shore. Unconventional, but great fun! Once on the island we unfortunately wasted quite a bit of time arguing with some officials who insisted we pay an island entry tax; it was a frustrating experience because none of the locals had to pay so we were unsure of how legitimate the officials were and, moreover, because it was an entirely unexpected cost.
I would say this trip was quite significantly more stressful than the last, particularly with regards to the car. For me, however, the car rides - with our hilarious games and interesting hypothetical discussions in addition to all the ridiculous road obstacles - were actually what made the journey so memorable. I know the six of us were all sad to end the trip knowing that it was our last time traveling all together.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAURA!!!!
Hope you're having a fabulous South African birthday!
My gift to you: I haven't seen Harry Potter yet either...woops...
My gift to you: I haven't seen Harry Potter yet either...woops...
Friday, July 15, 2011
Laura: Two Weeks Notice
This weekend marks my last two weeks in South Africa. This past week was my last one at the creche, which would have been sadder except I don't think the kids grasped that I am going back to the school next week. However, since the pre-primary school gets out earlier than the creche, I will visit them in the afternoon before I leave for a proper goodbye.
Sadly, I must admit that Cerianne has won: I was not able to see Harry Potter on Wednesday but must wait until tomorrow. Despite my many phone calls to the bus company, there were no daytime busses that would get us to the movie theater in time to see Harry Potter in the closest movie theater, which is an hour away. Seeing it tomorrow will make for an excellent weekend though. I will also be going on a township tour on Sunday morning, for which I have been waiting my entire trip. To complete my exciting weekend, I will come back to Mamre on Sunday in time to watch the Women's World Cup finals, hoping for USA to beat Japan. I've tried to watch the games but mostly failed, even trying to wake up at 1am for a repeat of the USA-France game that ended up not being on. However, I am very determined to watch the final on Sunday and will not let the lack of tv channels stand in my way!
Other than working at the creche, watching 7 de laan, and attempting to keep up with the World Cup, I read Pride and Prejudice this week, which I know will make my sister happy. Pride and Prejudice is #6 on my list of books I've read so far, in addition to Half the Sky, A Thousand Splendid Suns, The Kite Runner, Into the Wild, and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. I just started Devil Bones by Kathy Reich (the book series which the TV show Bones is based off of), since my options are beginning to dwindle as I don't have enough room to keep books that I buy and thus must turn to the Mamre library. If anyone has any recommendations for book #8 and possibly #9, let me know!
Sadly, I must admit that Cerianne has won: I was not able to see Harry Potter on Wednesday but must wait until tomorrow. Despite my many phone calls to the bus company, there were no daytime busses that would get us to the movie theater in time to see Harry Potter in the closest movie theater, which is an hour away. Seeing it tomorrow will make for an excellent weekend though. I will also be going on a township tour on Sunday morning, for which I have been waiting my entire trip. To complete my exciting weekend, I will come back to Mamre on Sunday in time to watch the Women's World Cup finals, hoping for USA to beat Japan. I've tried to watch the games but mostly failed, even trying to wake up at 1am for a repeat of the USA-France game that ended up not being on. However, I am very determined to watch the final on Sunday and will not let the lack of tv channels stand in my way!
Other than working at the creche, watching 7 de laan, and attempting to keep up with the World Cup, I read Pride and Prejudice this week, which I know will make my sister happy. Pride and Prejudice is #6 on my list of books I've read so far, in addition to Half the Sky, A Thousand Splendid Suns, The Kite Runner, Into the Wild, and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. I just started Devil Bones by Kathy Reich (the book series which the TV show Bones is based off of), since my options are beginning to dwindle as I don't have enough room to keep books that I buy and thus must turn to the Mamre library. If anyone has any recommendations for book #8 and possibly #9, let me know!
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Cerianne: About Halfway Through
The news we've all been waiting for: I'm going to see Harry Potter TOMORROW!!!! So, hah, Laura. I still don't understand why it comes out in southern Africa (INCLUDING Botswana) two days before it comes out in the UK and US but it's fine with me! A bunch of us are going to the only mall at which it's showing tomorrow, so we'll see it before we head out for a second long-weekend trip on Thursday. This time we're going to Mbabane in Swaziland and Maputo in Mozambique for a total of six days. I'm not expecting anything quite as epic as gorge-swinging but I'm still really looking forward to traveling with the Gabbers Crew again.
Over the last week, Rugby-Sarah and I have had a really cool opportunity to get some insight into the work of Dr. Ava Avalos, a Ministry of Health doctor who specializes in HIV/AIDS. The initial taskforce meeting at the Ministry to which she invited us was really interesting for me because it gave me some ideas for how a humanities and social sciences person can get involved in the public health side of international development. Now, Sarah and I are helping to do some preliminary planning for a conference on HIV/AIDS in November - it's been a totally unexpected way to get to learn about another aspect of Botswana.
Went horseriding on the weekend! I can't even remember the last time I went riding but it was great!
Over the last week, Rugby-Sarah and I have had a really cool opportunity to get some insight into the work of Dr. Ava Avalos, a Ministry of Health doctor who specializes in HIV/AIDS. The initial taskforce meeting at the Ministry to which she invited us was really interesting for me because it gave me some ideas for how a humanities and social sciences person can get involved in the public health side of international development. Now, Sarah and I are helping to do some preliminary planning for a conference on HIV/AIDS in November - it's been a totally unexpected way to get to learn about another aspect of Botswana.
Went horseriding on the weekend! I can't even remember the last time I went riding but it was great!
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Way Too Much Time Has Passed...
Hi everyone! So sorry it's been so long - the library's computers don't really load this website properly, so it makes it difficult to blog. Since I'm in Cape Town this weekend, I splurged for the internet cafe to skype with my parents and update you all on the past few weeks.
The last two weeks have consisted of working at the creche, where the kids that I work with (3-4 years old) don't speak any English and don't understand that I don't speak Afrikaans. Luckily, I've found that children can be pretty easy to understand if you read their body language or just start guessing what they want. I do feel pretty awkward when they ask me questions over and over in Afrikaans and I just have to smile and nod. Interestingly, these kids are actually taught more than the kids in the pre-primary school. I've already learned my shapes, colors, and how to count to five (although I would like to move on past five, but I don't think they're ready yet). I have also been learning Afrikaans through the soap opera that my host mother watches every night, 7 de laan, where things have finally gotten interesting after a month of nothing happening.
Two weekends ago I went on a safari trip along the Garden Route with three fellow volunteers and a random guy from the Czech Republic named George, who happened to book the trip the same weekend we did. Although we were a bit nervous that the trip would be a bit of a repeat because we had driven part of the Garden Route the previous weekend to go bungy jumping, it turned out to be an excellent adventure. The first day we went to an Ostrich Farm, where we would have had the chance to ride an ostrich if it hadn't rained the day before and left the ground all muddy. It wasn't terribly exciting, and ostriches stare at you a bit creepily, but it was still cool to see them. Next, we went to an elephant sanctuary, where we got to feed baby elephants! It was very adorable and they even gave us hugs. We spent the night at then nicest hostel I've been in so far, adequately named Backpacker's Paradise, where we sat by a fire and got to try ostrich steak, which is eaten quite commonly here. I don't eat red meat but decided to try it anyway, and it actually wasn't that bad. The next morning, we went to the Cango Wildlife Ranch, which is similar to a zoo but nicer since the animals are in more natural habitats. The best part was that we actually got to pet cheetahs! You had to pay a bit extra, and it turned out to be more of a photo-taking experience than a cuddling-with-cheetahs experience (the latter of which I would have preferred), but it was pretty awesome. In the afternoon, we went on a game drive, which was definitely the highlight of the weekend. It was very peaceful and calm watching the animals roaming around and it was cute when a baby rhino went up to our car only to scurry back to its mother a few seconds later. All in all, it was a fantastic weekend, and definitely filled in some of the more traditional "African" things I've been wanting to do.
Today I went to the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, which is absolutely gorgeous. The weather was perfect today (it's usually freezing but it was actually warm for once) and I can only imagine what it looks like in the summer instead of winter. With only two more weekends to go, next weekend I'll be going on a township tour and the weekend after I'll be staying in Mamre for some relaxation (and to save some money). It's hard to believe my time is winding down!
P.S. Just to rub it in Cerianne's face, I'll definitely be trying to see Harry Potter this week/weekend.
The last two weeks have consisted of working at the creche, where the kids that I work with (3-4 years old) don't speak any English and don't understand that I don't speak Afrikaans. Luckily, I've found that children can be pretty easy to understand if you read their body language or just start guessing what they want. I do feel pretty awkward when they ask me questions over and over in Afrikaans and I just have to smile and nod. Interestingly, these kids are actually taught more than the kids in the pre-primary school. I've already learned my shapes, colors, and how to count to five (although I would like to move on past five, but I don't think they're ready yet). I have also been learning Afrikaans through the soap opera that my host mother watches every night, 7 de laan, where things have finally gotten interesting after a month of nothing happening.
Two weekends ago I went on a safari trip along the Garden Route with three fellow volunteers and a random guy from the Czech Republic named George, who happened to book the trip the same weekend we did. Although we were a bit nervous that the trip would be a bit of a repeat because we had driven part of the Garden Route the previous weekend to go bungy jumping, it turned out to be an excellent adventure. The first day we went to an Ostrich Farm, where we would have had the chance to ride an ostrich if it hadn't rained the day before and left the ground all muddy. It wasn't terribly exciting, and ostriches stare at you a bit creepily, but it was still cool to see them. Next, we went to an elephant sanctuary, where we got to feed baby elephants! It was very adorable and they even gave us hugs. We spent the night at then nicest hostel I've been in so far, adequately named Backpacker's Paradise, where we sat by a fire and got to try ostrich steak, which is eaten quite commonly here. I don't eat red meat but decided to try it anyway, and it actually wasn't that bad. The next morning, we went to the Cango Wildlife Ranch, which is similar to a zoo but nicer since the animals are in more natural habitats. The best part was that we actually got to pet cheetahs! You had to pay a bit extra, and it turned out to be more of a photo-taking experience than a cuddling-with-cheetahs experience (the latter of which I would have preferred), but it was pretty awesome. In the afternoon, we went on a game drive, which was definitely the highlight of the weekend. It was very peaceful and calm watching the animals roaming around and it was cute when a baby rhino went up to our car only to scurry back to its mother a few seconds later. All in all, it was a fantastic weekend, and definitely filled in some of the more traditional "African" things I've been wanting to do.
Today I went to the Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, which is absolutely gorgeous. The weather was perfect today (it's usually freezing but it was actually warm for once) and I can only imagine what it looks like in the summer instead of winter. With only two more weekends to go, next weekend I'll be going on a township tour and the weekend after I'll be staying in Mamre for some relaxation (and to save some money). It's hard to believe my time is winding down!
P.S. Just to rub it in Cerianne's face, I'll definitely be trying to see Harry Potter this week/weekend.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Elephants, Crocodiles and Gorge-Swinging, Oh My!
The Journey:
The bus was a typical coach bus with two main differences from its American equivalents One: no on-board toilet for the twelve-hour journeys without guarantee of any bathroom stops (and, knowing about this advance, I had pretty much stopped drinking anything for hours before the ride). Two: the seats were probably two-thirds of the size of your average economy-class airplane seat, aka WAY TOO SMALL. We were lucky, though – some passengers stood in the aisle until the first drop-off point, more than an hour from Gaborone.
It was an overnight journey, so the plan was definitely to sleep. For me, sleeping on a bus never amounts to more than the occasional shut-eye until my head nods too suddenly and my neck screams. But this was worse than it had to be: for the ENTIRE journey during which 95% of the passengers were clearly trying to sleep, the bus driver played the most aggravating music on the planet, a consistent reggae beat which was too twitchy to allow anyone to relax. Worst of all was the song “Wake Up, Suzy” was either played over and over again or just lasted twenty minutes longer than it should have. I guess I don’t know its actual title but, as “Wake Up” and “Suzy” were the only lyrics, I assume it’s a pretty good guess.
At some point in the middle of the night, the bus stopped in the middle of the road and everyone had to get off. Most of our group got off behind a crowd of people who, one-by-one, all stepped through a two-by-two ft wet pile of rags surrounded by bricks. This was the infamous foot-and-mouth stop we had heard about, the brilliant solution to the spread of the disease: get off bus, clean shoes, return to walk on bus where you just walked with dirty shoes…Hmm. Anyway, Isaiah and Bugsy got off the bus without anyone directly in front of them, so they walked past the rags only to have a bus official yell at them to return. Athena and James began shouting, “Did you not have detailed enough instruction on what to do?? Were the directions not clear enough??” This was hilarious even to the locals who had previously been rolling their eyes at the confused Americans; everyone had to admit that there had been absolutely no instruction whatsoever, and stepping in a wet pile of rags is hardly instinctive!
Safari day:
On Friday we were up at the crack of dawn to begin our safari drive at 6:30am. When our driver, KG, arrived, we enthusiastically piled into the game drive truck only to find that the engine would not turn on. We thus began the day by pushing the vehicle that was supposed to take us by lions and elephants. Great. The company we booked through, Dream Safari, was fortunately fantastic (and cheap!) and they got us onto a backup truck before we entered the Chobe Game Reserve. We spent almost five hours driving around looking for animals and, despite having spent longer in the Kruger Park, last year I wasn’t bored at all. Highlights included hearing the hippos (whose noise sounds like a deep, slow evil laugh), being surrounded by about twelve elephants including one wary mother elephant guarding her baby, and getting out of the truck on a small beach just to have tea.
Next we went to Kazungula, the meeting of the Chobe and Zambezi rivers and the water border between not two but four countries: Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Namibia. We had no idea that, once there, we would be able to jump on a vehicle-transport ferry across to Zambia for no cost at all, as long as we didn’t go through customs on the Zambian side. While still on the shore we noticed about eight canoes out in the water, each rowed by one man who would rush to the ferry as it was about halfway to Zambia, load his canoe with boxes, and then row away. KG told us they were smugglers, paid by those on the ferry to transport the goods around the customs check at which the ferry passengers had to stop. So illegal, yet the policemen on shore made no attempt to discourage it!
In the evening we enjoyed a relaxing three-hour sunset boat cruise on the Chobe River. Apart from some more elephant close-ups, nothing terribly exciting happened until all the other passengers disembarked and the driver suddenly revved up the boat and jetted just the six of us off to a tiny island with no actual dock to speak of. Where were we? Namibia! The only thing on the island was a rundown and certainly closed bar, but no fear because KG had two friends waiting for us who opened it up, if you call opening the door to let us in and grabbing us huge beer bottles to go all without turning the lights on, “opening.” Such a hilariously wonderful surprise!
In the evening we enjoyed a relaxing three-hour sunset boat cruise on the Chobe River. Apart from some more elephant close-ups, nothing terribly exciting happened until all the other passengers disembarked and the driver suddenly revved up the boat and jetted just the six of us off to a tiny island with no actual dock to speak of. Where were we? Namibia! The only thing on the island was a rundown and certainly closed bar, but no fear because KG had two friends waiting for us who opened it up, if you call opening the door to let us in and grabbing us huge beer bottles to go all without turning the lights on, “opening.” Such a hilariously wonderful surprise!
Lots of epicness in one day:
Waking up at 5:30am on Saturday, we made it to the Zimbabwean border right when it opened at 6am. I don’t know if I’d ever been blatantly discriminated against before, but while my American friends paid $30 each to cross, I had to pay $55 for being British. The Canadian price was even higher! (Because Zimbabwe’s currency inflated to a point at which people were regularly paying millions at the grocery store, they now use US dollars. Thanks to some really pushy Zimbabwean vendors who literally followed us around, we all purchased some of the old currency and are now all billionaires. Hooray!)
The main point of our day was to see Victoria Falls, the world’s largest waterfall. The falls were certainly breathtaking, and Bugsy came up with the best word to describe the scene: “Might”. The mist from the falls was so intense that at some of the lookout spots we couldn’t actually see anything other than white cloud all around us, only the roar of the falls confirming that they were actually still right there. Needless to say, we got soaked!
Just seeing the falls was not enough, however. Four of us did the gorge swing and the Sarahs did the zipline. What is a gorge swing? Well, after being harnessed up to many, many different ropes as well as being harnessed to another person (in my case, Athena), you walk to the edge of a small wooden platform. It’s a bit like walking the plank but instead of being at the edge of a ship you’re just teetering on the edge of a massive cliff, staring across at a wide gorge and down at the churning river. Five, four, three, two, one, and you jump. For the first three seconds, you’re falling completely free of any support, screaming higher, louder and longer than you ever have in your life, certain that you’ve lost your mind because you can’t possibly survive this. Then the ropes that have so far fallen with you pull tight against their starting point about halfway across the gorge, way back up at cliff level, and you fall into a gliding swinging motion as you sail across the river, now totally calm and in absolute ecstasy, not screaming but hollering with joy. Without a doubt, the craziest thing I’ve ever done in my life. I believe a video will be available on facebook at some point!
In comparison, whitewater river rafting might sound rather tame but it occupied a full afternoon and was perhaps more pure fun overall. Our boat guide, BK, gave us a quick talk on instructions and safety but it didn’t seem totally comprehensive. He told us how to get back in the boat if we fell out, and informed us that crocodiles are not vegetarians, yet didn’t have much advice on what to do if a crocodile was present when we fell out other than “try to swim fast”. Reassuring. Anyway, I quickly discovered that rafting is one of the most amazing experiences out there: so relaxing on the calm sections of the river when we could admire the towering cliffs and so thrilling on the rapids when we were rocked from side to side and smacked in the face with cold waves. The rapids all had very amusing names like, “The Devil’s Toilet Bowl” or “The Terminator.” There was one massive wave that so nearly seemed to flip the boat over, but we all actually managed to stay in and upright. We did jump out for a voluntary swim when BK said it was okay, but the lingering fear of crocodiles kept it short. Equally fun as the rafting was the surprise rock climbing we had to do to avoid one section of the river. I am determined to go rafting again, soon!
All in all, one of the best weekends ever. Thanks to my fellow Gabbers for making it so wonderful!
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Cerianne: A quick Gab about Gabs
I'm writing this as quickly as possible in the hope that we do NOT have yet another power cut in the next half hour. It's pretty unbelievable how many times the power has shut off in the last week, especially considering it didn't happen at all in our first couple of weeks here. Our Harvard crew made the best of one particular power-out session that occured around 9:30pm when we were all sitting in the staff room. We were suddenly thrown into absolute darkness and nobody had any desire to attempt to walk blindly back to our boarding houses, so we continued sitting right where we were (conveniently under epicly large blankets) and told riddles and ridiculous stories. We really couldn't have been luckier in terms of how well we all get along. What's so nice about our time here is that there is often not much that we absolutely have to do, so we can chat or "gab" (pun on Gaborone's nickname "Gabs" fully intended) for as long as we want most evenings; we even now have two designated Gab sessions - one after dinner before we tutor in the boarding house ("Gabs 1") and the second at 9pm when prep hours finish ("Gabs 2"). Despite spending some busy daytime hours tutoring, in general our time here is pretty slow-paced and relaxed, like the laziness of a normal summer vacation without the summer heat...and in school...
Last weekend was particularly great. That was despite things getting off to a weird start on Friday night when we were audience members of My Star, Botswana's American Idol equivalent (the show started two hours late and, when it did finally begin, consisted largely of people complaining about the corrupt voting system). On Saturday, I spent almost the entire day outside; I watched some of the students play tennis at a tournament in the morning and played games with over 100 children aged about 3-8 at the Salvation Army house in Old Naledi, a really poor village in Gabs. The kids were heartbreakingly adorable. As soon as we joined in their BIG BIG CIRCLE they vied for the chance to stand next to us and hold our hands. By the end of our two hours with them, they wouldn't stop hugging and high-fiving us and, to be honest, I didn't really want to stop hugging them either! Although games like Duck Duck Goose were difficult with such a huge group, the kids seemed to love it when I just sat on the floor with them and made as many different animal noises as I could think of. We didn't get to see much of the village of Old Naledi, but the fact that many of the kids weren't wearing shoes while they trampled over tiny glass shards behind the S.A. house is a suggestion of their living conditions.
On Sunday a really nice teacher took us on a short drive in the local game reserve. The most exciting animals were zebras and warthogs, so it didn't compare so well with my memories of the Kruger Park last year, but it was still fun to watch the rest of the Gabs crew get really excited at the first impala we saw, only to be pretty bored by impala less than two hours later. It was (hopefully) a great warm-up for this upcoming weekend. We have Thursday and Friday off so tonight we're taking a ten to eleven hour (!!!) bus overnight journey up to Kasane in the north to go on a serious game drive and to cross the border into Zimbabwe (!!!) to see Victoria Falls. Should be absolutely amazing.
I'm actually about to go pack right now, so I'll just finish up by saying how great the students are. We've been able to hang out with them more recently what with a pajama party that we threw in the girls' boarding house and a school-organized braai (bbq) with all the boarders last night. Whether we're talking to them about college or the US, they're telling us about their lives here, or they're teaching us insulting phrases in Setswana, we always have a ton of good laughs when we're with the students, former students, and other young staff members.
Last weekend was particularly great. That was despite things getting off to a weird start on Friday night when we were audience members of My Star, Botswana's American Idol equivalent (the show started two hours late and, when it did finally begin, consisted largely of people complaining about the corrupt voting system). On Saturday, I spent almost the entire day outside; I watched some of the students play tennis at a tournament in the morning and played games with over 100 children aged about 3-8 at the Salvation Army house in Old Naledi, a really poor village in Gabs. The kids were heartbreakingly adorable. As soon as we joined in their BIG BIG CIRCLE they vied for the chance to stand next to us and hold our hands. By the end of our two hours with them, they wouldn't stop hugging and high-fiving us and, to be honest, I didn't really want to stop hugging them either! Although games like Duck Duck Goose were difficult with such a huge group, the kids seemed to love it when I just sat on the floor with them and made as many different animal noises as I could think of. We didn't get to see much of the village of Old Naledi, but the fact that many of the kids weren't wearing shoes while they trampled over tiny glass shards behind the S.A. house is a suggestion of their living conditions.
On Sunday a really nice teacher took us on a short drive in the local game reserve. The most exciting animals were zebras and warthogs, so it didn't compare so well with my memories of the Kruger Park last year, but it was still fun to watch the rest of the Gabs crew get really excited at the first impala we saw, only to be pretty bored by impala less than two hours later. It was (hopefully) a great warm-up for this upcoming weekend. We have Thursday and Friday off so tonight we're taking a ten to eleven hour (!!!) bus overnight journey up to Kasane in the north to go on a serious game drive and to cross the border into Zimbabwe (!!!) to see Victoria Falls. Should be absolutely amazing.
I'm actually about to go pack right now, so I'll just finish up by saying how great the students are. We've been able to hang out with them more recently what with a pajama party that we threw in the girls' boarding house and a school-organized braai (bbq) with all the boarders last night. Whether we're talking to them about college or the US, they're telling us about their lives here, or they're teaching us insulting phrases in Setswana, we always have a ton of good laughs when we're with the students, former students, and other young staff members.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Bloukrans Bungy Jump
Never, ever in my life did I think I would actually bungy jump, let alone do it for the first time off of the world's highest one. Bloukrans bungy jump is in Tsitsikamma, which is about a 7 hour drive from Cape Town. My host mother's daughter and her husband drove the other volunteers and I, since they had already done it and insisted that we do it too.
On one side of the bridge is mountains, on the other side you can see the ocean. The guys working there are among the most positive, happy people I have ever seen. They take you in groups of around seven and blast dance music while they prepare people to jump one by one. After securing your feet, they make you hop to the edge, where they tell you to put your hands out and head up. (They had to say "head up" two times before I actually stopped looking down.) To reassure you of course, they ask for any last words. I think mine were somewhere along the lines of "Oh my goshhhh...." Then they count, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, BUNGYYY!!!! and you're just supposed to jump off the edge of a bridge. I knew that if I hesitated, it wouldn't be good, so I actually jumped when they said to. About 2 seconds in you have an OMG I'M FALLING THIS IS THE END OF MY LIFE moment, then the rope catches you two seconds later and all the blood rushes to your head. It's pretty ridiculous. Watching the DVD of it is possibly the funniest thing I've ever seen, although I didn't buy it because it doesn't play in US DVD players. But seriously, google it or find someone jumping it on youtube because it's unbelievable.
I'm just glad I'm still alive.
On one side of the bridge is mountains, on the other side you can see the ocean. The guys working there are among the most positive, happy people I have ever seen. They take you in groups of around seven and blast dance music while they prepare people to jump one by one. After securing your feet, they make you hop to the edge, where they tell you to put your hands out and head up. (They had to say "head up" two times before I actually stopped looking down.) To reassure you of course, they ask for any last words. I think mine were somewhere along the lines of "Oh my goshhhh...." Then they count, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, BUNGYYY!!!! and you're just supposed to jump off the edge of a bridge. I knew that if I hesitated, it wouldn't be good, so I actually jumped when they said to. About 2 seconds in you have an OMG I'M FALLING THIS IS THE END OF MY LIFE moment, then the rope catches you two seconds later and all the blood rushes to your head. It's pretty ridiculous. Watching the DVD of it is possibly the funniest thing I've ever seen, although I didn't buy it because it doesn't play in US DVD players. But seriously, google it or find someone jumping it on youtube because it's unbelievable.
I'm just glad I'm still alive.
Friday, June 17, 2011
Cerianne: Africans are better dancers
I realize my title is a huge generalization, but I promise you it’s completely true. I have been out to two clubs, taken one zumba class, and witnessed the most incredible impromptu dance session from the boarder girls and can now safely conclude that every individual in Botswana has some serious moves. The impromptu dancing was the best. I waited outside the boarding house with the girls for quite some two time nights ago while we impatiently watched the lunar eclipse creep across the face of the moon. Although the moon did finally turn a beautiful hazy copper colour, the long process was clearly not gripping enough for the girls who started singing songs from Michael Jackson to High School Musical to pass the time. Before long, they had transitioned into singing and dancing all the games they could remember from their childhood, games with Setswana phrases and specific dance combinations which they had all learned separately in villages across Botswana. The songs often told stories about going to the supermarket or meeting people. Obviously I had no chance of picking up many words. The dancing was a little bit easier – it often involved one person dancing in the middle while the other girls circled around, so there was a little bit of freestyle but also certain required moves. When I was shoved into the middle I totally fudged the steps that everyone was supposed to do, but I think I regained some dignity when I freestyled with the notorious water sprinkler! One of the girls, Gorata, told me that they had learned the words and moves to these games by just spending hours and hours playing out on the streets with other children, but she thinks the girls her age may be the last ones to learn them because the young kids now don’t have the same street-based childhoods. In the small, rural villages that many of the students come from, there are practically no safety concerns. Everyone knows everyone else and looks out for one another’s kids. A few of the girls mentioned that, after leaving their villages to attend a prestigious school in the capital city, they often return home only to find that their former playmates are distant, assuming that city-life has changed their old friends.
Time is really flying by here. I would say we’re now fully into a daily routine for the weekdays, although we are still adding additional students to our schedules. My favourite academic activities so far have been the writing clinic I teach with Bugsy (Sarah) and Cora and the cultural literacy sessions (of which we’ve only had one so far) that we all run for the ten MaP scholars who will be attending American high schools in September. Off campus, though, my highlight so far was undoubtedly climbing Kgale Hill, a rocky, hour-long hike up to magnificent views of the surrounding area. The daytime winter weather here is PERFECT – almost always sunny at around 60 to 70 degrees. After all that packing stress, if anything I packed too many winter clothes!
Tonight we’re watching the final student performance of all the work they’ve done with the visiting Juilliard students. And then we’re apparently schmoozing at the principal’s house…with the French ambassador and the British High Commissioner…UMMMWHAT??
Monday, June 13, 2011
A Hand to Hold
I am now settled down in Mamre, where two other volunteers and I have been volunteering in a Grade R classroom at the only school in town. The students only speak a little bit of English and ask questions like "What is your mother's name?" but they make up for the language barrier with their adorableness. I think they are used to having volunteers in the midst because they have shouted, "Teacher! Teacher!" ever since day one to get our attention.
My host mother is a great woman, who reminds me of my mom in some ways (like how she doesn't want to leave the house when it's too cold). She knows everyone in Mamre, mostly because she grew up here and many generations of her family still live here. Still, it's endearing when we walk down the street and she greets everyone we pass with "Morning!" She is a part of all these committees for the town and is often apologizing for having to run off to a meeting. She showed us around Mamre, which consists of small colorful houses, a school, a church, a few conveniences stories, a library, lots and lots of dogs, and a few horses.
So far my days have consisted of goign to the school in the morning and reading/watching tv in the afternoons. I've already gone through 1.5 of the two books that I brought, but I can at least exchange with the other volunteers. This past weekend we went to Simon's Town to see the penguins and hiked Table Mountain, which has incredible views from the top. Future weekends include a safari and possibly a bungy jump (world's highest = to jump or not to jump?).
Since there are three of us volunteering in one classroom with a student teacher and a teacher, I'm not sure how much of an impact I've had so far. (One volunteer in our program we met had an entire 7th grade class to himself, so the experience with the program varies a lot.) However, during recess, two kids will immediately grab my hand and won't let go the entire time while we run around the playground. Sometimes I haven't even met the kids who grab my hand, but that doesn't really matter. Even though these kids all come from different backgrounds, there's something universal about just wanting attention. So, even if I can't speak any sentences in Afrikaans, I can certainly hold their hands and be here for them.
My host mother is a great woman, who reminds me of my mom in some ways (like how she doesn't want to leave the house when it's too cold). She knows everyone in Mamre, mostly because she grew up here and many generations of her family still live here. Still, it's endearing when we walk down the street and she greets everyone we pass with "Morning!" She is a part of all these committees for the town and is often apologizing for having to run off to a meeting. She showed us around Mamre, which consists of small colorful houses, a school, a church, a few conveniences stories, a library, lots and lots of dogs, and a few horses.
So far my days have consisted of goign to the school in the morning and reading/watching tv in the afternoons. I've already gone through 1.5 of the two books that I brought, but I can at least exchange with the other volunteers. This past weekend we went to Simon's Town to see the penguins and hiked Table Mountain, which has incredible views from the top. Future weekends include a safari and possibly a bungy jump (world's highest = to jump or not to jump?).
Since there are three of us volunteering in one classroom with a student teacher and a teacher, I'm not sure how much of an impact I've had so far. (One volunteer in our program we met had an entire 7th grade class to himself, so the experience with the program varies a lot.) However, during recess, two kids will immediately grab my hand and won't let go the entire time while we run around the playground. Sometimes I haven't even met the kids who grab my hand, but that doesn't really matter. Even though these kids all come from different backgrounds, there's something universal about just wanting attention. So, even if I can't speak any sentences in Afrikaans, I can certainly hold their hands and be here for them.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Cerianne: Arriving in G-City
What I was told by a South African woman as I checked in to my Botswana Airlines flight: "I am NEVER flying this airline again. They've canceled my flight because of some technical problem with the engine. Probably the whole plane fell apart." ...Thanks.
But anyway, the filght was totally uneventful and only about half an hour long, just enough time to down a few pieces of biltong, dried meat that doesn't look at all tasty but somehow is. I was met at the airport by TG (nickname: Porky or, as we first thought due to some confusion with the accents, Pokey) of the Maru-a-Pula staff so I didn't have to stress at all about getting safely to the school. It was pretty weird knowing that all the other Harvard students had already been on campus for at least a day, but I had nothing to worry about because everyone has been very welcoming. The students all say hi, regardless of whether I've met them, and the teachers seem like a really cool, and potentially pretty rowdy bunch. A lot of the staff members are around my age, so the staff room is usually filled with loud banter. I've already heard a wide variety of accents from teachers and there are students from all over, including China and Serbia.
Maru-a-Pula is a really interesting place. It's obviously a top school full of opportunities to which only a small percent of students in this country have access. Homeroom starts at 7am (with the daily staff meeting at 6:50am, GASP!) and there are six class periods until lunch at 12:45, when school is already over! So early! The other Harvard students and I spend a lot of this time in the library, either tutoring kids who we've scheduled to meet or helping out any students who approach us. So far, all the kids I've interacted with are really motivated to learn but also enjoy just chatting with us, which is great for us because we're learning so much about Botswana from hearing about their individual lives. After lunch the kids choose between various sports, enrichment (like art, music, newspaper, etc.), or service, and we're allowed to join in any activitiy that interests us. On my first day I went to zumba with Athena Lao and Sarah Akhtar ("Bugsy," as opposed to "Rugby" Sarah!) which was hilariously fun and I've since tried out Spanish class and tennis practice as well. In the evenings, we girls chill in the common room of the girls' boarding house and do some more homework help, another great way to get to know the students.
That's all practical infostuffs though - the most fascinating part of my stay here so far was listening to the MaP Scholars (top students who will attend American high schools for senior year in fall) have a debate on the current strike in Botswana, which is actually quite scary in terms of how it seems to be escalating into violence. Basically, doctors and teachers are among the workers who have been on strike now for over two weeks (aka, past the legal strike allowance) to demand wage increases, leaving hospitals and schools unstaffed. President Ian Khama insists that there is no money to increase wages, but people are furious because he recently bought himself a new private jet. The students were so engaged in the debate and their assigned roles to an extent that I don't think I ever saw or experienced at my high school - I was beyond impressed. They all spoke eloquently and passionately, remaining totally in character when they started yelling at each other, much to our entertainment. When the moderator made some comments that seemed biased in favour of the strikers, the student playing President Khama simply said, "I could fire you!"
Much more to come on the strike I'm sure...things are really heating up on the streets!
But anyway, the filght was totally uneventful and only about half an hour long, just enough time to down a few pieces of biltong, dried meat that doesn't look at all tasty but somehow is. I was met at the airport by TG (nickname: Porky or, as we first thought due to some confusion with the accents, Pokey) of the Maru-a-Pula staff so I didn't have to stress at all about getting safely to the school. It was pretty weird knowing that all the other Harvard students had already been on campus for at least a day, but I had nothing to worry about because everyone has been very welcoming. The students all say hi, regardless of whether I've met them, and the teachers seem like a really cool, and potentially pretty rowdy bunch. A lot of the staff members are around my age, so the staff room is usually filled with loud banter. I've already heard a wide variety of accents from teachers and there are students from all over, including China and Serbia.
Maru-a-Pula is a really interesting place. It's obviously a top school full of opportunities to which only a small percent of students in this country have access. Homeroom starts at 7am (with the daily staff meeting at 6:50am, GASP!) and there are six class periods until lunch at 12:45, when school is already over! So early! The other Harvard students and I spend a lot of this time in the library, either tutoring kids who we've scheduled to meet or helping out any students who approach us. So far, all the kids I've interacted with are really motivated to learn but also enjoy just chatting with us, which is great for us because we're learning so much about Botswana from hearing about their individual lives. After lunch the kids choose between various sports, enrichment (like art, music, newspaper, etc.), or service, and we're allowed to join in any activitiy that interests us. On my first day I went to zumba with Athena Lao and Sarah Akhtar ("Bugsy," as opposed to "Rugby" Sarah!) which was hilariously fun and I've since tried out Spanish class and tennis practice as well. In the evenings, we girls chill in the common room of the girls' boarding house and do some more homework help, another great way to get to know the students.
That's all practical infostuffs though - the most fascinating part of my stay here so far was listening to the MaP Scholars (top students who will attend American high schools for senior year in fall) have a debate on the current strike in Botswana, which is actually quite scary in terms of how it seems to be escalating into violence. Basically, doctors and teachers are among the workers who have been on strike now for over two weeks (aka, past the legal strike allowance) to demand wage increases, leaving hospitals and schools unstaffed. President Ian Khama insists that there is no money to increase wages, but people are furious because he recently bought himself a new private jet. The students were so engaged in the debate and their assigned roles to an extent that I don't think I ever saw or experienced at my high school - I was beyond impressed. They all spoke eloquently and passionately, remaining totally in character when they started yelling at each other, much to our entertainment. When the moderator made some comments that seemed biased in favour of the strikers, the student playing President Khama simply said, "I could fire you!"
Much more to come on the strike I'm sure...things are really heating up on the streets!
Monday, June 6, 2011
Sitting on my suitcase...
My strategy for packing: 1) stuff the suitcase until you can't possibly fit anything else in, 2) zip it up, 3) sit on said suitcase for about half an hour while you blog to your friends and family about how exciting it is to sit on a pile of clothes in a bag, and 4) Et voila! More space is available and you can repeat steps 1-3!
Packing for about nine weeks is always going to be hard, but it's particularly difficult because I have to squeeze in the coats and sweatshirts that will probably be necessary in the nippy Botswana evenings, things one should never have to pack in June. The temperature right now in Gaborone is 45 degrees Fahrenheit and I've been told to expect colder...brrrr. That said, the forecast for the next week has daytime temperatures in the seventies! Basically, I'm fairly confused as to what clothes I should be bringing. Last year in Johannesburg, which is only about 200 miles to the southeast of Gaborone, I had to deal with significant temperature swings too, but it seems like the difference from day to night might be even more extreme in Gabs!
Anyway, nothing can stress me out too much right now because I am SO SO SO excited for the summer ahead! My journey begins bright and early tomorrow (Monday) morning but it will be Tuesday afternoon when I finally reach my destination of Gaborone, the capital city of Botswana. There, I will spend eight weeks working in Maru-a-Pula High School with five other Harvard students in a range of activities like SAT prep tutoring, mentoring students through their college application process, and participating and assisting in the student activities that most interest us, from sports (tennis!) to music and to community service. It sounds like a pretty amazing school with a huge amount of opportunity available to its students and I'm really looking forward to seeing what education at its best is like in Botswana. I have very little idea of what to expect in terms of how the school will compare to my high school or my conceptions of the typical American school. From what kind of perspective do students in Botswana learn about the rest of the world? What do they think of their own country's place in the world? Botswana is currently one of Africa's rare success stories and, although it still faces a lot of poverty, its economic growth since independence has been unparalleled by any other country over the last 40 years, so it should be really interesting to get to know the students who could define the country's future!
To do immediately upon arrival in Botswana: Find out whether the seventh Harry Potter movie will be coming out in this country anytime this summer or whether I will have to cross national borders to see it!
Packing for about nine weeks is always going to be hard, but it's particularly difficult because I have to squeeze in the coats and sweatshirts that will probably be necessary in the nippy Botswana evenings, things one should never have to pack in June. The temperature right now in Gaborone is 45 degrees Fahrenheit and I've been told to expect colder...brrrr. That said, the forecast for the next week has daytime temperatures in the seventies! Basically, I'm fairly confused as to what clothes I should be bringing. Last year in Johannesburg, which is only about 200 miles to the southeast of Gaborone, I had to deal with significant temperature swings too, but it seems like the difference from day to night might be even more extreme in Gabs!
Anyway, nothing can stress me out too much right now because I am SO SO SO excited for the summer ahead! My journey begins bright and early tomorrow (Monday) morning but it will be Tuesday afternoon when I finally reach my destination of Gaborone, the capital city of Botswana. There, I will spend eight weeks working in Maru-a-Pula High School with five other Harvard students in a range of activities like SAT prep tutoring, mentoring students through their college application process, and participating and assisting in the student activities that most interest us, from sports (tennis!) to music and to community service. It sounds like a pretty amazing school with a huge amount of opportunity available to its students and I'm really looking forward to seeing what education at its best is like in Botswana. I have very little idea of what to expect in terms of how the school will compare to my high school or my conceptions of the typical American school. From what kind of perspective do students in Botswana learn about the rest of the world? What do they think of their own country's place in the world? Botswana is currently one of Africa's rare success stories and, although it still faces a lot of poverty, its economic growth since independence has been unparalleled by any other country over the last 40 years, so it should be really interesting to get to know the students who could define the country's future!
To do immediately upon arrival in Botswana: Find out whether the seventh Harry Potter movie will be coming out in this country anytime this summer or whether I will have to cross national borders to see it!
Friday, June 3, 2011
It's Time for (South) Africa!
Hi everyone! This time tomorrow I will already be on my journey to South Africa and wanted to write to everyone before I took off. After a 16-hour flight to Dubai, an 8-hour layover (unfortunately not at a prime venturing-out-of-the-airport time), and another 10-hour flight, I will finally arrive in Cape Town on Sunday morning, where I will be for the next two months.
I'm volunteering with an organization called International Volunteer Headquarters (IVHQ), which has volunteer programs all over the world and partners with a local organization in each country. In South Africa, the organization is the South African Student Travel Services (SASTS).
I originally wanted to volunteer in a school the entire summer, but since it's their winter vacation, I will be working on two different projects. For the first three weeks, I will be volunteering at a Pre-Primary School that caters to students around ages 2-6 before they enter Primary School. For the next three weeks, I will be at a crèche (daycare center), working with kids of the same ages. After that, I will return to the school for my last two weeks. The whole two months I will be staying about 45 minutes outside of Cape Town in a small town called Mamre with a host family. The pre-primary school and crèche are both in Mamre, but I will be free to traipse around Cape Town on the weekends with other volunteers in the area.
Since this is my first international trip (quite the opposite of Cerianne), I’m not sure what to expect, but there’s one thing I know for sure: HP 7 Pt. 2 premiers TWO DAYS before it does in the US and doesn’t premier in Botswana at all, so I already have one step up on Cerianne.
I’ll post more describing what I’m doing/where I’m staying once I get there and know more. For now, if you happen to have any suggestions for what to do on a plane for 26 hours (besides read the only two books I’m bringing with me), let me know!
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