The Last Days in Bots

The last few days in Botswana flew by in a weird whirlwind of activity and lethargy. Of course it was really hot, and there were no classes or even any other students on campus for that matter. The dining services had all shut down for the break so we ate all our meals at Riverwalk or bought supplies from the grocery store. It was a good time, actually. I enjoyed having the whole room (and pretty much the whole building) to myself; no competition for the sink for washing, no waiting for a shower in the morning, no dealing with the horrible little twerps that were my roommate's friends. It was bliss. Amanda, EJ, and I spent a lot of time at Riverwalk enjoying the last few meals together. Our last trip to Milky Lane for ice cream and our last sub at Debonaires was a big deal. There are photos of course. On the last night we were all together Batsi threw a big party at his house, complete with catered food, liquor, soft drinks, and music. He barbecued some chicken and steaks too- Batsi is the best! It was bittersweet to be all together for one last time. We were excited to go home or keep on traveling, depending on our post-Bots plans, and the UC kids were all making plans to keep in touch once the spring semester started. Of course Batsi had one last assignment for us all to do.

In the morning some people left for the airport. One group was taking a bus to Joburg and then flying to Cape Town or some such complicated plan, and quite a few were just flying to Joburg and then catching a connecting flight home. EJ and Amanda both left and I was almost by myself. My friend Brooke was still around and she spent most of the day frantically trying to cram her belongings into her luggage. She was planning to stay on for another week or so, continue working at Mokolodi, and then meet up with her parents and travel around Africa for a little while.

I had made arrangements with my friend Diana to spend my last night in Bots at her house. She picked me up from UB (it took her, my friend Tonya, and myself to haul my luggage out) and we drive through the village and to her place. At the time her sister had gotten a tiny and ridiculously adorable kitten named Stoney, so I was pretty entertained with playing with the kitten. However, since it was December, and since Diana not only loves Christmas as much as I do, but is also one of the few people on Bots who really cares about Christmas, we went shopping for some holiday decorations and bedeck her house with. The end result was very pleasing. Her mother came home and started to cook dinner, had gotten not too far into, and the gas for the stove was out. The gas man couldn't deliver another canister, the car was busy over heating, and Mrs. Abankwah didn't have any cash on her. Somehow, despite all of this, in the end she got the stove working and finished cooking a delicious dinner. Then we watched a Christmas movie until we fell asleep.

The next day, the day I was to leave Bots, Diana and I woke up fairly early and started the business of buying the materials to have yarn dreaded into my hair. We stopped at several market places and then tracked down the hair stylist Diana likes. The whole process was completed quickly and efficiently: the hair stylist put aside a few choice locks of my hair and then began wrapping the maroon colored yarn tightly around the locks. A small piece of metal at the bottom of each dread completed the look. The whole thing cost P15 for the work and P10 for the materials- score! Then is was back to Diana's house to pack up my luggage and go to the airport! Before we left Diana gifted me her bullet earrings (which I had been coveting all semester), which are now some of my most prized pieces of jewelry. We got to the Gabs airport, checked in, and discovered that my luggage was way over weight. Big surprise. Diana and I hugged our final goodbyes and then I got to stand awkwardly in a tiny office until somebody noticed me and had me pay the appropriate fee. I also could only take one carry on when I had been counting on two, so with great reluctance I sent my backpack into the baggage department. I had packed my most valuable items in my small wheely carry on bag and my backpack. At that point I was sure I would never see my big suitcase or my backpack again. My luggage was to be transferred over for me from Gabs, to Joburg, to Frankfurt.

So it was that I was not entirely settled as I sat in the boarding area waiting for my flight. I had a pretty short lay over ahead of me in Joburg and I began to get nervous as my flight from Gaborone to Joburg was late. It got to the point of panic before the tiny airplane arrived and I sat tense for the whole (mercifully) short flight. I booked it through security and the windy, confusing Joburg airport and by the time I reached my gate for my flight to Germany the plane was already loading. Once I was safely in line though I felt sweet, sweet relief was over me. From here on out it would be smooth sailing and in a few hours I would not only be in Germany, but I would be able to meet up with my dad. Pappy, Germany, Steiff, food that was not meat, beer....