Day 16

July 10
Today was quite the unassuming day. Instead of a Setswana lesson today, Banki came and spoke to us about Setswana culture, including the way in which marriages, dating, and sexual education classes work. Marriages are long, extended affairs, involving the bringing together of two extended families into one joyous union. Dating doesn't happen until at least 18 years of age. Sexual education is a new phenomenon in Botswana, and it is slowly yet steadily making its way into the secondary school curriculum.
After our Banki lesson, we visited the tliliniki, the clinic. While there, we learned about the healthcare system in Botswana. It's actually amazing. All services offered at the clinic are free. How amazing is that. It blew my mind how accessible healthcare is here. Especially for HIV/AIDS patients, there was an amazing support system. The ARVs necessary for HIV treatment are free to citizens of Botswana at any clinic. Free! For a country with the second highest HIV/AIDS prevalence rate in the world, second only to Swaziland, this system is especially mind-boggling. Despite the huge rate (almost a quarter of the population), Botswana has one of Africa's most progressive and comprehensive programs for dealing with the disease. All of this is thanks to money from the diamond mines. The discovery of diamonds really was the best thing to happen to Botswana. This is an amazing system in place.

The public education area at the clinic

After we finished with the clinic, we went home for lunch. After lunch, we went to the secondary school to start laying bricks for the benches. We have two sets of bricks laid. That's one site down, four to go!
We watched the sun set again, and then went home. Hopefully, I'll get to cook dipapata (bread) tomorrow!! I was supposed to help today, but there wasn't enough time. After Generations, I helped my mom mop the kitchen. I enjoyed it, and I think she was happy that I offered to help. Her being happy made me happy. :)

Me and my mommy (with little Litso's head sticking out lol)

Palesa and Litso fell asleep on my lap today. They are actually too cute. I love these kids. :)

Palesa. Isn't she just too cute??

Day 15

July 9
We did it! Two weeks have come and gone. It doesn't feel like two weeks have passed. It feels like a lifetime and, at the same time, it feels like no time at all. It's funny, how time can pass like that. I'm sure that, before I know it, it will have been three weeks, then four weeks, then home. It's amazing how time flies when you're having fun! And today was definitely a fun day.

Flashback to Day 1, in the airport at JFK!!!

We woke up extra early this morning to go into Gabs (Gaborone). I was so happy that we went. I love Mogobane, but the change of scenery was definitely needed. We went to GameCity, one of the biggest malls in Gabs. It was scary, how closely it resembled some malls in America. It was beautiful though, and very easy to find what I wanted. We were able to spend quite a bit of time there, and we ate lunch there as well. I was very happy about that, because having the same lunches day after day was starting to get to me.
After the trip to Gabs, we returned to Mogobane for community service. We were laying cement today and my oh my was that interesting! The fail of the day? Well, while trying to pickaxe the ditches for the cement, Amelia put a hole in her leg with the pickaxe. Yup. A hole. In her leg. With a pickaxe. Klutzy much? I felt bad for her, but I must say, it took a little of the pressure off of me, as I'm usually the one injuring myself with dangerous equipment. Last year, in Belize, we worked with machetes, and mine was taken away from me. Three times. Hahaha!! Today, we were spilling cement everywhere as we tried to fill the holes, but we were laughing the entire time. I always have a good time with this group.

Rheame and Carson, hard at work

After I got back home, I heard that Mom had called! A quick text, and before I know it, I'm talking to Mom!! It was great, being able to talk to home. I hadn't had a phone conversation with home since arriving in Botswana. After a couple of disconnections, the conversation ended without flair, but after Generations, I was able to talk to Dad. I'm really sad that I haven't spoken to Cailin, my sister, yet. I should get to speak to her on Friday though, so I'm looking forward to that.
I'm beginning to feel the pangs of monotony. I guess that's the problem with being a city kid. I always need something new to spice up my day. Thankfully, Carson and Louie have been working tirelessly to keep things exciting, but I can feel it beginning to drag. Only 10 more days in the homestay. Let's see what tomorrow brings!

Day 14

July 8
Today was pancake day! I made sure that I woke up extra early today (yes, I sacrificed my sleep-in day for the greater good of pancakes) just so that I would have enough time to make, serve, and eat the pancakes before it was time to go to kereke, or church. I had to wake up at 7 to make sure that everything was done on time.
The first few pancakes were a complete disaster. I made a few key mistakes when making these first pancakes. Mistake #1: I tried to recreate a situation similar to that of home, where we cook 4 pancakes at a time on a griddle. Well, there was no griddle, but there was a large pan that covered all 4 burners. Great idea in theory, not so great empirically. The pan was uneven, so only one part of the pan was touching the stove. This meant that one pancake burnt, while the others didn't cook at all!
Mistake #2: I again tried to recreate my home cooking environment by using butter to grease the pan. By doing so, I disregarded the label which read "for spreading only," because there is no such thing as butter that only spreads and doesn't also cook. Well, apparently, there is such a thing as butter that will only spread and not cook, so the whole pancake-not-sticking-to-the-pan thing I was hoping for didn't quite work out.
Mistake #3: Normally, at home, I can watch the flame and adjust it to my preferred pancake-cooking level. This is generally around the mid-range of the flame strength. Refilwe, who actually loves pancakes dearly, was helping me cook, and she turned on the stove. What I didn't realize was that she turned it on to the highest possible setting. The hottest the stove could get. For pancakes. It took me two burnt pancakes to realize that the burner was set to that level. I turned it down, but it was continually turned up again by the mysterious stove burner bandit. After explaining to Refilwe why I set the burner to not full strength, she let me keep the temperature down. But that didn't stop her from making comments about the temperature the whole way through! Hahaha!!
To combat these problems, I switched to a smaller pan on one burner and I used cooking oil instead of butter. This was much better. I felt like Paula Deen, deep-frying pancakes, but it worked! The end result was delicious, even if most of the pancakes were broken and in pieces. Everyone loved them! :)
After pancakes, it was time for kereke! Today, Rheame, Ian, and Thomas were all there. It was a good service. We were anointed the last time we went, so I guess I was a little disappointed when that didn't happen again. The more time in church means the more time with Rheame, Ian, and Thomas!
I came back with my family, ate lunch, and took a glorious nap. I have been so tired lately, it's probably not healthy hahaha!
After my nap, I met up with the rest of the group for some quality time together. We didn't do very much, but that was all I needed. Just some time with my friends.
We're going as a group to Gaborone tomorrow! I'm so excited. I get to go on the internet again! :D Hahahaha!!

Day 13

July 7
Today was a really fun day! Quite possibly one of my favorites to this point. The group met up early today, at 7. We watched the sun rise as we walked. It actually got visibly higher as we watched it. Within seconds, there was a visible position change. When the sun was low, it was a deep red color, and we could still see the moon sinking on the other side of the sky. It was beautiful.

The sunrise this morning. Amazing.

Today, as a group, we climbed Mount Otse, the tallest mountain in Botswana. Yes, you read that correctly. The tallest mountain. In Botswana. Up to the highest peak. All 4,892 feet.

The amazing, awe-inspiring, intimidating Mount Otse

We reached the peak before 11. We were back at Louie's house before 3. The tallest mountain in Botswana, and the round trip was only 7 hours, including time getting to and from the mountain. Don't let the time deceive you, as that mountain was no walk in the park. The acacia trees, which are known for their long, sharp thorns, grow plentiful on the mountain side. The rocks which make up the mountain are not too happy to be there, and they frequently sought to release themselves. Now, separately, these two things would not be so bad, but together, it can be a nightmare. When a rock slips from under your feet, you'd best be careful not too reach out to grab the nearest tree branch, because you will send a 4-inch spike through your hand. But if you pay too much attention to the ground to keep your footing sure, there is no question that you will walk right into an acacia branch, and that isn't too fun either. With all of those thorns, and all of my lack of coordination, I was poked a lot, and I scratched up my arm. That isn't too bad, seeing as Ian impaled his ear.

Check out the thorns on this guy!

Taking a breather

Ian's impaled ear (sorry for the visual, but it was needed)

Despite all the danger, it was so much fun. Actually, thanks to the danger, it was even more fun! There is nothing funnier than hearing the silent shuffle of feet followed by the sound of shifting rocks and a short shriek followed by a mumbled "Watch the loose rocks over here." I think that a majority of us spent both the ascent and descent on something not quite two feet. We took as many pictures as humanly possible going up, going down, and at the top. We passed an abandoned mine on the way up, we assume it was a salt mine, and we took pictures there as well. I always have fun when I'm with my group. Always.

About half-way up

Yay, salt mine!!

The view from the top

Me at the top!

Going down...

After staying at Louie's house for an hour, I went home and took a much needed nap. I ate dinner when I woke up, planned tomorrow's breakfast (I'm making pancakes!), and called it a night. The pancakes will be interesting. I have to improvise a lot. We'll see how it works out! :)

Day 12

July 6
I can't believe it's only day 12. It feels like I've been here forever! I've seen and done so much, it's crazy. I also learned an important life lesson today. If you put trash in your bag, like a food wrapper, make sure you throw it out first thing, or make sure it is deep inside your bag. Otherwise, if you leave food in one of the outside mesh pockets, you might find that a nice family of ants has decided to take residence in that mesh pocket. I only hope that's the only place they found, because there's no way I'd be able to find them all myself if they found their way into other parts of my bag. I quickly removed that wrapper from my bag and my room and stomped on anything that may have moved. I stood there for about 10 minutes, just to make sure they were all dead. I'm pretty sure that I did a good job, but my bag is hanging up outside of my room, just to be sure.

Imagine this guy, times a billion million, and that's about how many ants there were.....

Other than that little adventure, today was a pretty good day. Setswana lessons in the morning, lunch, community service (which was where my bag must have met the acquaintance of those ants). After service, we played the best game of pickup soccer ever. I was goalie for most of the game, and I only let in one goal! I was especially proud because I think we may have played the world's best 10 year-olds. They were definitely giving us a run for our money, but we did win 5-1. Great fun, and many new local friends!

Walking back with our new soccer buddies

I came back for dinner, and I played cards with Rorisang and Refilwe while the younger kids watched on and tried to interfere. We watched Generations before I called it a night, and this brings us back to the discovery of the day: the relocation of an ant hill into my backpack. I am so tired. I think that tonight's time of 9:30pm might set a new record for how late I've stayed up since I've arrived.

Rorisang picking his next move carefully

Tomorrow, we were told that we have a special, weekend surprise. I heard some whispers about Mount Otse (the tallest mountain in Botswana), but we'll see tomorrow! :)

Day 11

July 5
Today was a nice day, but it was not very eventful. I had eggs for breakfast. They were very good. I made them myself. :) Setswana lessons this morning went as they normally do. We reviewed verbs and positive/negative sentences. We also started talking about different tenses. Too confusing. I'd rather stick with the present. :)

A page from my Setswana notebook

Lunch was good, and then it was community service time. We've been making very good progress. We have dug ditches at three sites with pickaxes and shovels and created piles of sand, river sand, and rocks at each site. We have started piling bricks as well. Not quite sure what we'll be doing tomorrow, but it will most likely involve concrete. We're moving faster than expected.

A long day of pickaxing and shoveling

At the site, we met a group of local kids who go to the secondary school, and we had a great time showing them American dances while they showed us Batswana (the word for the people of Botswana) dances.
We tried to catch the sunset again, but we missed it by about a minute. It sets fast here. Oh well. We can catch it tomorrow. It sets every day. :)
Tonight was a good dinner. I had some bonding time with my family before it was time for Generations. Lots of fun and games. So so so tired. I used the pickaxe a lot today, and I did some heavy lifting. I'll feel it tomorrow, I'm sure. At this rate, I'll be buff when I get back to New York! Hahaha!! Good night. I'm excited to see what tomorrow brings.

Day 10

July 4
Happy Fourth of July! Today had a very interesting start. I woke up this morning and went to the bathroom, and the toilet didn't flush. I then went to turn on the sink, and that didn't turn on either. It was at that point that my mother decided to tell me that the water had shut off in the village. Apparently, this kind of thing happens often. There was no running water anywhere in the village. Luckily, my family had store tanks of water in a shed outside. We scooped buckets of water and carried them inside for everything. Bathroom, hand washing, bathing, dish washing, tea. Everything. We weren't sure how long the lack of water would last. We were told that it was once out for 3 days. Thankfully, the water came back on right around lunchtime.
Despite the brief lack of water, today was a great day! In the morning, we met the chief and the three headmen of the village. They explained to us the history of the village and the process they use to select the chief and the headmen. They use a hereditary system for the chief and headmen. The jobs remain in the respective families. A fun fact about Mogobane: the village was originally supposed to be named Mogajane, meaning "near a river." However, due to a typo, the village was registered as Mogobane, and the name stuck.

I guess the bar didn't know the name changed....

 After our meeting, we had a short Setswana lesson before lunch. After lunch, we started our community service project! Finally! We went to the secondary school and started to work at making piles of sand. We are building benches and tables of concrete and cement, so we need sand as one of our cement ingredients. We had speakers, so we started playing music and dancing around while digging. It was a lot of fun!
We also got a nice surprise after our service project. The group leaders got us biscuits, chocolate, and marshmallows, so we made s'mores for Independence Day. I had so much fun, and I really appreciate that gesture by the group leaders. Several of my friends felt homesick today, and this campfire really got our minds off of home. I wonder how the fireworks looked over the East River. I'm sure they were beautiful. What a day!

Setting up our 4th of July campfire!

Day 9

July 3
When I woke up this morning, it was cold, as usual. I was so cold, that my body rebelled against waking up, and I ended up oversleeping. Of course. Somehow, I still managed to get out of the house on time, thanks to some very fast motogo (porridge) eating. I think it was so hot, that I burned a hole through my entire digestive system.

My morning motogo and bush tea

Today's Setswana lesson was mainly review. We learned how to sing the national anthem as well. I like it. It's fun! It's called Fatshe Leno La Rona. No one can remember the verses, but no one forgets the chorus! :)
Lunch was... interesting, to say the least. Here in Botswana, there is a "no waste" mentality. I think that's great, but when it comes to food, I generally tend to disagree. Remember yesterday's chicken? Well, today for lunch, we had chicken liver, feet, and some unidentified organs. Luckily, I wasn't very hungry, so I politely declined. I'm going to get so fat here. The amount of bread I've been eating everyday is crazy. I love my carbs, and even I think it's a little much. A salad would do WONDERS for me right now.
Our afternoon activity involved interviews. We came up with 10 questions about life in Mogobane, and we had to pose those questions to 5 different people. It wasn't easy finding people who spoke English to interview, but we eventually found enough people to interview. We asked questions about family history in Mogobane, daily life in the village, and even what shows they watched on television. That last question was just used to determine which families had televisions, but almost everyone did, and almost everyone watched Generations!
After the interviews, the group went to the dam, which was absolutely beautiful. We took about a billion pictures, and we got to watch the sunset over the mountains while singing songs from The Lion King while sitting on what could be an exact replica of Pride Rock. It was amazing. There is nothing quite like an African sunset. Watching the moon rise was equally amazing. When it first shone above the mountains, it was glowing a deep red. The moon was HUGE! I've never seen a moon like it.

The group on Pride Rock

"I killed Mufasa!"

Dinner was small (thank god), and then we watched Generations again. This soap has grown to be my favorite thing ever. Also, my nieces and nephews are getting cuter and cuter every day. Actually adorable. What a precious family. Tomorrow officially starts community service!!! I'm really excited! I hope it's fun! :)

Day 8

July 2
Well, we didn't start community service today. Turns out the people who were supposed to help organize the project were not yet ready for us. We should start the project either Wednesday or Thursday. The sooner, the better. I can't wait to start the service project! I still don't quite know what it is, but I'm excited all the same.
Despite that small disappointment, today went very well! I woke up early to meet my friends before heading over to the kgotla. I took a bath this morning! It was very funny. I was given a small bucket of boiling water. This was poured into a bathtub. The water didn't even cover the entire floor. I was told that I could also turn on the water from the faucets. I turned on the cold to find freezing water. I quickly shut it off and turned on the hot tab to find slightly less than freezing water. I had to crouch in an inch of lukewarm bath water without a washcloth (mine was missing) and try to clean myself. I'm sure I looked ridiculous.

My bathtub

 We had our Setswana lesson with Banki outside today. It went well. I think I'm picking up on it quickly! I came back for a delicious lunch, and I left as soon as I saw them choose my dinner. I saw them walking into a shed holding a koko (chicken), and I ran away. Hahaha!
For our afternoon activity, Louie and Carson split us into groups of 2 to go make maps of the assets of the village. We got lost, hot, thirsty, and tired, so once we had a few landmarks down, Sarah, Amelia, Shane, and I stopped to take pictures with cows and on hills. It was a lot of fun. A lot more fun than mapping the entire village! Hahaha!

Cows!

Dinner was, you guessed it! Chicken. Surprisingly, I was able to eat it right up! It was served with what they call a dumpling, but quite different from home. This was just fluffy bread. Ahh-mazing. Served with some spiced cabbage, I was in heaven. After dinner, we watched Generations, a really popular South African soap opera. It was so over dramatic I was laughing when I really should have been crying. Hahaha!
Bobo, Carol, and Orobah went back to Gaborone today. I was very sad because I know the names of even fewer people now! Oh well. Hakuna Matata! :) I wonder what tomorrow will bring.

Day 7

July 1
I'm so excited! I keep learning more and more Setswana words! I'm even starting to recognize some words when my host siblings are speaking! I just love my family. The kids are helping me get through this awkward transition phase. With both lingual and cultural barriers, bonding with my host family isn't easy. I have found, however, that tickle fights are universal. When I feel lost or confused, and no one is translating into English for me, all I have to do is grab my nearest niece or nephew and make them laugh. Same (SAH-may) and Palesa are my nieces and Thero, Kitso, and Litso are my nephews. The girls speak English, but the boys are still too young to know any. That doesn't matter, and they climb all over me, fighting to be the next victim of the Tickle Monster.

Me, Palesa, and Thero

The girls have also been helping me with my Setswana. I've found that this is a good way to bond. Now, I have pages of Setswana words in Same's handwriting, and I plan on knowing every word. My sisters are great, too. They've been trying very hard to make me feel welcome. They have also been helping me with my Setswana. I'm still working on all of their names, though. As soon as they mention nicknames, the name sticks, but for the longer traditional names, I still have trouble. I remember Bobo, Carol, and Fifi (Refilwe). My brother's name is Rorisang. My mother's name is Dineo, and my father's name is Joseph. The kids are Same, Palesa, Thero, Kitso, and Litso. Then I run into some problems. The eldest's name starts with an "O," Orobah I think. Another starts with an "M," I'm pretty sure her name is Masego (ma-SE-ho). There's also another relative, a sister? Cousin? Not too sure hahaha! Her name starts with a "T." I'm too embarrassed to ask again. Hahaha! I might just ask Banki...

Me with just a few of my family members

 Now, to actually talk about my day. Today was Sunday, which meant one thing, church! Church is kereke in Setswana. I only brought one nice outfit with me, so even though I wore it yesterday to meet my family, I had to wear it again today. I enjoyed church. It was a Lutheran church. I didn't understand a word of the service, but they were always singing. It was great! The only other Americans at my church were Rheame and Ian. We had to introduce ourselves to the congregation because we were guests. We were allowed to do it in English, and the pastor translated. I sat next to Rheame for the entire service, and we both enjoyed ourselves. The service started a little after 10:00 AM, and it was very long. I didn't mind, because that meant less struggling with Setswana alone. I also really missed my group, so it was great seeing Rheame and Ian.
After church, I had lunch at home. While we were eating outside, Amelia and her two sisters arrived. After some introductions, I finished eating, and we went to go find more group members. We found Anahi, Shane, Ian, and Sarah. By the end we had a huge group of kids following us! We played "Keep-Away" for a while and took a bunch of pictures.

Pictures after a tough game of Keep-Away

It was a good thing we all found each other, because we realized we were meeting as a group tomorrow at the kgotla at 8:50 AM, but it takes 30 minutes to walk there. So, we are meeting in front of my house at 8:15 to arrive as a group. Anyway, after I went back home I played a lot with my nieces and nephews. The family watched some T.V. with dinner, I learned more Setswana, and then I played cards with Refilwe and Rorisang. It was a lot of fun, and I'm excited for the start of community service and the resumption of Setswana lessons tomorrow!!

Day 6

June 30
Today marks the first day of my homestay. I was thankfully able to sleep in this morning, as homestay arrival was the only thing on today's agenda. After waking up at a beautiful 9:00AM, I had yet another freezing shower. I don't think that I will ever get used to the temperature in the mornings here. Breakfast was very fast, and nerves were highly strung. Some of my friends (mainly Amelia and Shane) had been terrified of this day, and were worrying about it non-stop since arrival in Botswana. I tried my best to assuage their fears, but I could only do so much. I was sad to leave Mokolodi behind, but more excited than anything to meet my homestay family! I'm a little concerned that they won't know any English but at least I can introduce myself to them every day. After parting with the dorms, the lolwapa, and the upclose and personal wildlife (the warthog family under the bridge in particular), we were on our way to the homestay!

Sunset at Mokolodi

The bus ride was about 15 minutes, but it felt like an eternity. When we pulled up into the village, I thought I would explode. All of the mothers were waiting inside the kgotla for us (the town center). When we unloaded ourselves from the bus, we were swarmed by mothers. After only 3 "Dumela, mma"s, I was grabbed by the arm and pulled from the fray. All I heard was "You are mine!" My host mother had found me. Leina la gagwe ke Dineo. Her name is Dineo. Dineo Mosime. I was told that, although I am Brittany in the States, for the duration of my homestay, I will be called Naledi Mosime. My name means star. I love it. It might take me a couple of days to get used to it, but I've already started responding. I was chosen to present a speech to the host families (because of my proficiency in Setswana!), and I was able to say the entire speech in Setswana. My mother was very proud.

Me and my mother

After our short welcome ceremony, each family went their separate ways. I, for one, was thrilled to discover that my host mother knows more English than I had thought. When I arrived at the house, I was able to meet my family, and my family is HUGE! All together, I have a mother, a father, 5 sisters (I think), 2 brothers, 2 nieces, and 3 nephews. I feel terrible, because remembering all of their names is not something that will happen very quickly. The names are long and very different from names that I am used to. They are beautiful names, but hard to remember.

The entrance to my new home

Three sisters came down from Gabs just to meet me. They are only staying for the weekend. It's too bad, because they are a lot of fun. They've been teaching me more Setswana. For the first time in my life, I have a brother! He seems pretty fun. He's 19, and we played cards today after supper. It was a lot of fun. I taught him "James Bond." My other brother isn't in Botswana right now. He's actually in the Czech Republic, studying to become a doctor. (I found it pretty incredible that someone from a little village with dirt roads in Botswana could be studying in medical school in Europe.) When I first arrived, I spent some time with all of my relatives. My host father seems a little intimidating, but I think he's warming up to me. I watched Little Man with Refilwe and Rorisang (a sister and my brother). Refilwe is 18. I finally got her name right after about 30 tries. Before I got her full name, she just let me call her Fifi. I played with the younger kids for a while before running into Amelia at the tuck shop (little store) across the street. So far, I am happy here! It feels strange, being separated from everyone in my group, but I will hopefully see some of them tomorrow in church. Right now, though, I am so tired. What a day!

Rorisang, me, and Refilwe

Day 5

June 29
Gaborone! Today, we got out of Mokolodi, if only for a few hours, and we went on a day trip to Gaborone! This trip to Gabs (as the locals call it) had a purpose. Before entering the city, we split into three groups. Each group was assigned a mall, as there are several malls spread throughout the city. We took a combi, which is the main form of public transportation in Botswana, to Gaborone. Our mission was to buy all of our necessities at our designated mall, and to exchange our money, before finding our way on the combi system to Main Mall, the largest mall in Gaborone.

A Combi

Everyone was very excited getting into the combi. We were told all of these amazing things about the malls in Gabs. Carson, who came to Botswana in 2010, said that the malls reminded him of malls in America. Of course, we were excited to see these malls for ourselves. The first mall we stopped at, Gamecity, was amazing. It didn't look like an American mall; it was much more beautiful. All of the roads were paved, the building itself was huge, and the stores, while not American, would certainly fit in any American mall. The first group excitedly jumped out of the combi, and the rest of us just became even more excited. The second group got out at the Riverwalk mall, which was even more beautiful than Gamecity, with a palm tree-lined parking lot and a tiled walkway.
My group, the last group, was practically jumping around the combi, ready to see what our mall, the BBS mall, would be like. We pulled up, got out of the combi, turned around and saw........... nothing. The BBS mall was probably the saddest mall I've ever seen. There were probably two buildings in the entire mall, and I doubt that either building had been cleaned since Botswana's independence in 1966. We basically stopped in our tracks, looked around, saw and assessed the situation, then turned around and began searching for the combi to Main Mall. We found the correct combi easily, as the driver walked right up to us and asked us if we were going to Main Mall. The ride was about 10 minutes, and we were dropped off only a short distance away from the center of Main Mall.
Once we made it to Main Mall, things got much better. Main Mall was very different from the other malls we had seen, in that there were booths set up in the street, and these booths sold everything, from touristy items to music CDs. In addition to the booths, Main Mall had stores (unlike the BBS mall), so we were able to exchange money and get more necessities like toothpaste and nail clippers. We also had to approach the different vendors on the street and ask them to translate different phrases for us from English to Setswana. We were taken aback by how eager everyone was to help us. It really made us feel welcome.

Some of us with a vendor

Today was our last day before the homestay. I'm very nervous to meet my family. I hope all goes well tomorrow!

Day 4

June 28
Today was another long, yet fun day. I was slightly more prepared for the cold this morning, as I went to bed last night bundled up in my long johns, sweatpants, flannel shirt, fleece sweater, hat, and gloves. Waking up today was definitely not as painful as it was yesterday, but that shower will probably never be warm. Hahaha! We had a great breakfast before setting off on our first adventure of the day. Our first stop today was the snake pit, where the snake keeper showed us the different snakes they have on the compound. Luckily, they weren't loose, and we got to see them up close. We even got to hold a couple of them! It was a strange feeling, but fun all the same.

Me and my best friend, a python!

Yesterday, we went on a game drive around the Mokolodi Nature Reserve. Today, we went on a game walk. Yes, that's right. We walked through the nature reserve. I spent the entire walk hoping that the hyenas and rhinos didn't feel like coming out to see what was making all the noise. I wore sneakers because, just in case a lion appeared, I would be able to not out run the lion, but out run my friends! :) The walk was exciting. We were able to see impala and kudu from down on the ground, which just added to the majesty of these animals. Sadly, we weren't able to get very close, but it was still fun!

Taking a picture break during the game walk

When we returned from our walk, we had a filling lunch. We had another Setswana lesson today. I think I'm getting the hang of this language! Now, I can say hello, ask how someone is, and introduce myself. Dumela, mma/rra. O tsogile jang? Ke tsogile sentle. Leina la me ke Brittany. Leina la gago ke mang? That means "Hello, m'am/ sir. How did you wake? I woke well. My name is Brittany. What is your name?" Now all I have to do is remember it all. This was our last Setswana lesson before the homestay. I was told at the beginning of the trip that I would be learning survival Setswana, as it is highly possible that my family will speak very little to no English. Introducing myself is great, but how am I supposed to ask them where the bathroom is? Or what if I'm really hungry, but still don't know the word for food? This is going to be fun........
Before the sun set, Louie and Carson had us play a game of the human knot. For those of you that don't know, this is a game where a group of people stands in a circle, grabs a random hand, and then tries to untangle the ensuing knot. After 30 minutes of back-breaking bends and shoulder-wrenching twists, most of the group was ready to call it quits. Unfortunately, Louie was very invested in our game, and he insisted on fixing the last bit of the knot. After another 15 minutes, we were able to convince Louie that the knot was not going to be fixed, as it was an impossible knot. While not the best of games, it certainly provided a bonding experience!
Tomorrow, we head into Gaborone. We haven't been told yet what we will be doing, but I'm sure it will be fun!

Day 3

June 27
Dumelang borra le bomma! Hello gentlemen and ladies! Today was a crazy day. When I woke up this morning, I almost forgot where I was. I hear my alarm clock go off, and I wake up in a bunk bed in this huge room with only a few occupied beds. It took me a second to remember that I was in Botswana. As soon as I remembered where I was, I was hit with my second realization of the day. It's cold in the morning! Last night, it was a little cold, so I was wearing my jacket, but WOW! The temperature really dropped throughout the night! It's winter right now in Botswana, which probably explains the cold, but no one in my group was expecting the temperature to drop to 0˚C at night! Showering in the morning is not fun and very cold.
After breakfast, we had out first adventure in Africa! Mokolodi is a nature reserve, so we are living with the animals. No fences. It's great. Warthogs, impala, and kudu wander the compound. A family of warthogs even live beneath the walking bridge we use to get to the lolwapa, a round building we use for group meetings and bonfires.

The Lolwapa

The family of warthogs

 We took advantage of our location today, and we went on our first game drive! It was absolutely amazing. We saw so many animals. In addition to the warthogs, impala, and kudu, there were wildebeest, giraffes, monkeys, a crocodile, and an ostrich. What an amazing first experience! The day only got better, as in the afternoon, after lunch, we had our first Setswana lesson! Banki is our Setswana teacher, and today, she taught us how to say hello (dumela) and how to ask how someone's day has been, which varies based on the time of day and how close you are with the person you're speaking to. Very interesting, and very hard to pronounce. I can't wait for tomorrow! :)

A giraffe and an ostrich!

Day 1/Day 2

June 25/June 26
Welcome to Africa! Today began my trip to Botswana. Well, "today" is sort of a loose term, seeing as this entry represents days 1 and 2. I am so excited, I don't think I can fully express my emotions in words. I'm finally in Botswana! At home, I was counting down the minutes to this moment. The day started off at the airport. My parents and my sister dropped me off at the airport. I didn't let them stay for very long, as I already knew from last year's trip to Belize that good-byes are the most difficult part of any trip.
This is my second trip with EIL, the Experiment in International Living. EIL takes small groups of students from all over the United States on trips to 30 different countries around the world. Last year, I went for 4 weeks to Belize. This year, I will spend 5 weeks in Botswana. The first 3 days in Botswana will be spent in an orientation, where we will learn more about Botswana and begin our lessons in the most widely spoken language in Botswana, Setswana. The next two and a half weeks will be spent in a homestay in a local village called Mogobane (pronounced mo-ho-BAH-nay) completing a community service project. We aren't sure what that project will be yet, but I know it will be rewarding. We will end the trip spending a couple of days in Gaborone, the capital city, before moving north for our safari and trip on the Okavango Delta.
From the minute I arrived at the airport, I knew it was going to be a great trip, and so far, so good! My group leaders, Louie and Carson, seem very nice and my group is already very close. I just met them, and already it feels like I've known them forever. There are, including myself, 6 students from New York (Shane, Anahi, Thomas, Olivia, Brandon, and myself), one from Belmont, MA near Boston (Amelia), one from Pittsburgh, PA (Ian), one from Seattle, WA (Rheame), and one from the Florida Keys (Sarah). We are from all across the country, and still we are friends, and will remain friends, thanks to this one trip bringing us all together. We played ice-breaker games in the airport to get to know each other better. The games were silly, but a great way to pass the time, as we had about 5 hours in the airport before takeoff. The trip to Johannesburg, our first stop, was rather uneventful, as I spent most of the 15-hour flight sleeping.

Landing in Johannesburg! Yes, this is really my plane. :)

As soon as we landed, the trip got interesting. Walking through security, Shane forgot his sleeping bag on the conveyor belt. As a sleeping bag was one of the few required items on our packing list, he had to go back to get it. The airport security decided to have fun with him, and they said that his sleeping bag had a gun in it. They even showed him an x-ray picture of a sleeping bag with a gun inside of it. It wasn't his sleeping bag, but it rattled him all the same. They couldn't stop laughing, but Shane didn't find it as funny as they did. In the midst of all this trouble, we neglected to check the time of our connecting flight, and we ended up missing our flight into Gaborone (pronounced ha-bo-RO-nay). Luckily, flights to Gaborone are frequent, so we easily secured another flight a few hours later. Let's just say we were relieved to land in Gaborone. At the airport, we met Banki, our in-country coordinator. She'll be with us for most of the trip, and she'll teach us Setswana. When we finally arrived at Mokolodi, where we will be staying for orientation, we were exhausted. It's taking a lot of will power to finish this entry. I am so excited for tomorrow: our first game drive and our first Setswana lesson! 

My team