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!
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