This is the two week marker of my leaving home. Not to be confused with two weeks in Africa- that's on Monday. And on this glorious Botswana morning I have...almost nothing to do? I need to run an errand to Batsi's office (per usual) and then we are going to a concert at 6.30 tonight, but other than that...nothing. I spent money yesterday on some functional/pretty/tasty things so I should probably not go to Main Mall with people today. Maybe I will nap. Ohhhh, that sounds so good right now.
The concert we saw was very cultural, and the drinking and goofing around we did was very relaxing. People really started to come out of their shells! I am pretty sure that the venue was one of the places No.1 Ladies was filmed at (I think it might be the Go-Go Handsome Men's Bar), so that was exciting. The musicians were a group who performed a mixture of traditional music with jazz and blues. Very swanky.
Movies:
I saw my first movie in Botswana today (Saturday), and ironically enough it was “Captain America”. I didn't plan on this- I voted for Harry Potter 7- but it turned out to be a great pick-me-up for anyone suffering from homesickness. In fact, I think that if I had seen this movie back home in Wisconsin I would have been bored rather than amused. Here in Botswana I giggled and laughed the whole time and enjoyed some good ole' American bru-ha-ha. I am not normally a fan of American bru-ha-ha.
The theatre was very large and a little dilapidated. But the seats- oh the seats! They were large and luxurious and perfect for sinking into to enjoy and evening out at the movies! It made up for the lackluster popcorn. Oh, and the stinking drunk guy and his friends behind us were pretty funny too. Nobody can say that they weren't into the movie.
On Sunday my friend Meara invited some of us CIEE kids (we sound like a gang. No wait- we are a gang. We are planning t-shirts and everything!) to come to her house and cook dinner for her family. Meara's homestay is in Maru-a-Pula, which is about a 20 minute walk from UB. She has three “sisters” a “nephew” and a “mom”. This family also has two dogs! One is a gorgeous lady Queen Bee named Sophie, and the other is her two month old puppy named Kenzie. Yes, the puppy and my niece/goddaughter share the same name. I spent so much time with those dogs! I kept feeding the puppy, who would sneak into the kitchen, cheese. In case you aren't aware, dogs are rarely seen as pets in Botswana. Most people with homes have a dog or two as guard dogs, and they keep the animals outside. Once in a while a family will choose to vaccinate their dogs, but it is not a priority. Therefore, these dogs are often scared of people or just very business like about their guardianship. They are also usually dirty and tick-ridden (Sophie wasn't). They are mutts a hundred times over, which just means that they are all pretty good looking dogs as far a color patterns and faces go. The other night while taking a cab home we came across a pack of feral dogs which roam the neighborhood at night. These guys were terrifying; like a whole pack of the Hound of the Baskervilles. At night I can hear them barking and growling outside the perimeter of UB.
Anyways, Sophie and Kenzie were nothing like those beasts. These two were very friendly and cuddly, once they understood that we wanted to pet them and love them. Well, Sophie was hesitant, Kenzie just launched himself at everyone.
We cooked chili and fajitas for dinner. There seem to be no tortillas in Botswana (no one from around here knows what they are) so we just put it all over rice. Rice, they have in abundance, let me tell you. If you go to the grocery store you will see a whole aisle devoted to rice. The food was good, and everyone seemed to enjoy it. We had Neapolitan ice cream for dinner, and then we caught a cab home. We rounded out the night by cramming onto my bed and watching 'Bridesmaids'. My roommate, Fruits, even joined us.
My First Class:
Today I finally had my first class. It's odd to be so excited about it when I am neither six and starting kindergarten, nor eighteen and starting college. My First Class was Archeology In Botswana, and it looks as if I have gotten in over my head. I jumped right into a fourth year course and I have no training in the field of Archeology to back it up. Tomorrow I am meeting with the professor (I could tell that I liked her from the moment I realized that she was wearing Nefertiti busts for earrings) to discuss other class options.
Seeing as that class met, I have a feeling that I will be sitting in My Second Class this afternoon as well. I have Intro to PR and Advertising at 2.00. It doesn't sound nearly as interesting, or as scary though.
Movies:
I saw my first movie in Botswana today (Saturday), and ironically enough it was “Captain America”. I didn't plan on this- I voted for Harry Potter 7- but it turned out to be a great pick-me-up for anyone suffering from homesickness. In fact, I think that if I had seen this movie back home in Wisconsin I would have been bored rather than amused. Here in Botswana I giggled and laughed the whole time and enjoyed some good ole' American bru-ha-ha. I am not normally a fan of American bru-ha-ha.
The theatre was very large and a little dilapidated. But the seats- oh the seats! They were large and luxurious and perfect for sinking into to enjoy and evening out at the movies! It made up for the lackluster popcorn. Oh, and the stinking drunk guy and his friends behind us were pretty funny too. Nobody can say that they weren't into the movie.
On Sunday my friend Meara invited some of us CIEE kids (we sound like a gang. No wait- we are a gang. We are planning t-shirts and everything!) to come to her house and cook dinner for her family. Meara's homestay is in Maru-a-Pula, which is about a 20 minute walk from UB. She has three “sisters” a “nephew” and a “mom”. This family also has two dogs! One is a gorgeous lady Queen Bee named Sophie, and the other is her two month old puppy named Kenzie. Yes, the puppy and my niece/goddaughter share the same name. I spent so much time with those dogs! I kept feeding the puppy, who would sneak into the kitchen, cheese. In case you aren't aware, dogs are rarely seen as pets in Botswana. Most people with homes have a dog or two as guard dogs, and they keep the animals outside. Once in a while a family will choose to vaccinate their dogs, but it is not a priority. Therefore, these dogs are often scared of people or just very business like about their guardianship. They are also usually dirty and tick-ridden (Sophie wasn't). They are mutts a hundred times over, which just means that they are all pretty good looking dogs as far a color patterns and faces go. The other night while taking a cab home we came across a pack of feral dogs which roam the neighborhood at night. These guys were terrifying; like a whole pack of the Hound of the Baskervilles. At night I can hear them barking and growling outside the perimeter of UB.
Anyways, Sophie and Kenzie were nothing like those beasts. These two were very friendly and cuddly, once they understood that we wanted to pet them and love them. Well, Sophie was hesitant, Kenzie just launched himself at everyone.
We cooked chili and fajitas for dinner. There seem to be no tortillas in Botswana (no one from around here knows what they are) so we just put it all over rice. Rice, they have in abundance, let me tell you. If you go to the grocery store you will see a whole aisle devoted to rice. The food was good, and everyone seemed to enjoy it. We had Neapolitan ice cream for dinner, and then we caught a cab home. We rounded out the night by cramming onto my bed and watching 'Bridesmaids'. My roommate, Fruits, even joined us.
My First Class:
Today I finally had my first class. It's odd to be so excited about it when I am neither six and starting kindergarten, nor eighteen and starting college. My First Class was Archeology In Botswana, and it looks as if I have gotten in over my head. I jumped right into a fourth year course and I have no training in the field of Archeology to back it up. Tomorrow I am meeting with the professor (I could tell that I liked her from the moment I realized that she was wearing Nefertiti busts for earrings) to discuss other class options.
Seeing as that class met, I have a feeling that I will be sitting in My Second Class this afternoon as well. I have Intro to PR and Advertising at 2.00. It doesn't sound nearly as interesting, or as scary though.
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