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!