Friday:

So begins my four day weekend! I was foiled in my attempt to sleep in this morning, which isn't a big deal. It gave me more time to read my latest bookstore purchase, The White Queen, another great historical fiction novel by Phillipa Gregory. It is part of my attempt to understand the War of the Roses (aka, how England managed to screw themselves up and kill everybody). Anyway, I eventually met up with Diana and we headed to Game City, which I think is the biggest and flashiest mall in Gabs. So...probably in Botswana? Unless Francistown has a nice mall, but I doubt that. We did indeed go to the shop run by the Tanzanian women and it had beautiful things! Diana spent too much money but bought some Harem Pants (which some people call Aladdin Pants) made up colorful patchwork pieces full of designs and embroidery. I didn't buy anything, but I was sorely tempted. We went to Mr. Price after that- of course, and found more treasures. Then we left Game City and went to Riverwalk so I could buy my weekly supply of groceries. I decided to try out the Pick n' Pay this time and found some good stuff. PnP is slightly cheaper than Spar and much more affordable than Woolworth's, just in case you are ever grocery shopping in Botswana on a budget.

Groceries:

Every time I go grocery shopping my diet evolves a little. Trying to eat healthy here is incredibly difficult. As I've mentioned before every campus meal (apart from breakfast...sometimes) involves chicken and rice, some kind of coleslaw/cooked carrots/spinach, and some overly-sweetened juice. Sometimes you can eat the delicious papatas, which is a slightly sweetened break, or a fat cake, which is a ball of dough deep fried. There are also muffins and donuts and meat pies. Cheeseburgers, Russian rolls, and beef/chicken livers round out the options. Fanta, coke, ginger ale, and Liquifruit are the drinks of choice. With this menu in mind I try to buy food on the opposite end of the spectrum: Granola bars, apples, bananas, cheese, yogurt, chips, and Lunchbars (a very delicious Botswana candy bar). I can only buy food which does not require cooking as the most cooking I can do is adding hot water to Botswana's version of Ramen noodles. There is a fridge in another CIEE students' room which I store my cheese and the occasional milk and yogurt in. Oh, did I mention that the yogurt I bought was Rooibos and tea flavored? It tasted like tea but it was yogurt! On this particular shopping trip I picked up a box of cereal to eat dry. It's called Choco Bitz, and it's chocolate oat clusters with milk and white chocolate chips. I just opened the box while I was typing and it tastes quite good. I also tried the Cadbury version of a health bar, which is “musli” (granola and dried fruit) on a bed of Cadbury milk chocolate. Yum, health bars Botswana style!

Orphanage and National Museum

Today (Saturday 27/8/11) we woke up early and got on a combi to go to a local orphanage and spend some time with the kids there. We didn't really know what to expect; sick kids? Happy kids? Were we supposed to do arts and crafts or something? As it turns out we were greeted and then led to a large dirt field with some football goals, a building with various sports equipment (I think) and told to just play with the kids, doing whatever. They were mostly very small and very cute. Some of the little ones immediately picked “friends” whom they glued themselves too. Ragtag yet spirited games up football cropped up, piggy back rides were given, races were held, and the kids seemed to be having a good time with us strange visitors with the funny accents. Lots of the kids were exploring my bracelets. One girl, who was probably around 10, asked to borrow my camera. I politely refused, but offered to take her picture. She asked me several more times and I refused several more times, so she started to lightly hit me and called me a bully until one of the people who worked there told her to stop. A little while later some furious hand slapping games started, and we even sang some silly childhood songs.

I am posting pictures from the trip in my facebook album “Jurassic Park” so you can see the kids for yourselves.

When we got back I asked one of the guys (named Eric. He is our certified genius on the trip) if he would show me the way to the National Museum. The first hedgehog I have seen in Africa was here, but it was very dead and stuffed. Apparently some tribes prescribe hedgehog skin to be worn close to the skin as a love potion for men to use. I'll tell Phinneus he is a love potion. Outside of the museum is a big passenger train car leftover from the old Rhodesia Railways, a failed project by the British. Again, pictures on facebook.

Eric and I parted ways at the museum as he caught a combi back to his homestay and I walked back to UB. Now I am hiding in my room and recovering from the heat. I am also putting off doing my homework by blogging. Listening to Trio on my itunes. I think I will get dinner from a vendor and then watch the latest movie Matt sent me with some friends. A quiet Saturday evening.

Later:

Did watch 'Super 8' with some friends- it was thrilling- we all screamed. Excellent. By the way, I also saw 'Crazy Stupid Love' at the theatre at Riverwalk and it was definitely a quality rom com. Bekky, make sure your husband sees this! I know how he loves his chick flicks.